


The Turquoise Lotus Father (The Treasure Seekers 2)

by TheShatteredRose



Series: Treasure Seekers [2]
Category: Etrian Odyssey Series, 世界樹の迷宮V 長き神話の果て | Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
Genre: Action, Adventure, M/M, Mystery, Sequel, Slow Burn Romance, Suspense, Treasure Hunt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-02-12 23:15:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 83,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21484438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShatteredRose/pseuds/TheShatteredRose
Summary: {Sequel to The Treasure Seekers} Drayce’s mission of the second floor of Yggdrasil was a simple one. But the life of a treasure hunter is never simple. A small favour for a guildmate turns into a battle of wits against a band of bandits that don’t play by the rules. Drayce is the one who learns this firsthand…
Relationships: Dragoon/Necromancer (Etrian Odyssey)
Series: Treasure Seekers [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/873864
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> That’s right, saga 2 to the Treasure Seekers series! I have the vast majority of this story worked out. So I know where I am going. How many chapters and words this is it going to be? Who knows?
> 
> If you haven’t read the first saga, then you kinda need to do that. There’s going to be a couple of references throughout this story that alludes to the first saga. So, yeah. Better go read it when you get the chance.
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy!

The council hall was bustling with both explorers and locals alike. With the weather warm and inviting, it allowed for residents of Iorys to wander the streets to complete their chores and errands, and for explorers to trek through the labyrinth without concern. So, it was no surprise to find the ever-dutiful Ramus hard at work.

“Morning, Ramus,” Drayce greeted warmly when he and Blayke finally reached the front of the line.

Ramus’ smile seemed to turn from politeness to genuine warmth. “Oh, good morning. I see you have the map completed.”

“That’s right,” Drayce replied with a grin as he handed over a rolled-up piece of parchment that held a copy of his own map. 

The original was, of course, kept at the Crescentia. Where it would stay. They would rely on exact copies of the map for whenever the travelled into the labyrinth again. It would do no one any good should something happen to their map.

“Thank you very much for your hard work,” Ramus said, more out of habit, as he retrieved the parchment. He seemed unable to stop himself from wishing to have a look at the map himself, so promptly unfurled it. “Having a map drawn by an archaeologist would be greatly beneficial for the city guards should anything arise.”

“It was a team effort, really,” Drayce said in return. 

And had to smile when he thought back to how excited Faelen was to learn cartography skills from him. It was always nice to have an eager learner. Especially on something so vital. If Drayce made a mistake, it was reassuring to know that someone else was capable of drawing up their own map if need be.

He should teach the others the basics just in case.

Seemingly satisfied with the map, Ramus lifted his head up to face them once more. “You will explore the second floor next, yes?” he asked as he rolled up the parchment.

Drayce nodded his head. “Right. We’re full-fledged explorers now. Any hints or tips for us?”

Ramus hummed lightly in thought for a moment. “From what I’ve been hearing from other explorers is that there are quite some fearsome monsters on that floor. Far larger than those found on the first.”

From where he stood just behind Drayce, Blayke snorted and muttered under his breath. “Perfect.”

Drayce couldn’t help but shoot him a grin over his shoulder. “Hey, bigger they are the easier it will be to avoid them, right?”

Blayke didn’t look wholly convinced. Or even a little bit convinced. He just rolled his eyes and folded his arms over his chest.

“There is something I wish to ask of you for that floor, though, if I may,” Ramus suddenly requested.

“Of course,” Drayce immediately replied as he turned to face him once more.

Ramus shuffled slightly on his feet as he toyed with the map in his hands. “As of yet there isn’t an official way to reach the third floor from the second. From what I understand, there’s a strange stone pillar that no one has been able to move. And there doesn’t appear to be any place for stairs to reside. Obviously, there must be some way to reach the third floor.”

A somewhat wry smile appeared on Ramus’ lips and he shook his head. “Well, there is likely to be multiple ways, but I would prefer an official and safer option.”

Drayce had to chuckle. “Totally reasonable. We’ll be sure to poke our noses around and find these hidden stairs for you.”

Ramus’ smile turned genuine again and he nodded his head. “I have faith that you will.”

With a few words of farewell, Drayce and Blayke made their way out of the council building and to their awaiting carriage. The driver had thankfully waited for them, though it was likely because Drayce was becoming a common visitor of the council hall.

“Searching for some stairs, huh?” Blayke commented as they both hopped into the carriage. “Why do I get the feeling it won’t be as easy as simply finding them?”

“Where’s the fun if it was that easy?” Drayce replied as they sat across from each other, Blayke choosing to sit with his back toward the driver. “Besides, after some snooping around we might find other hidden treasures. You never know.”

Blayke nodded his head as the carriage began to move. “That’s true. We certainly didn’t head into the first floor expecting to find the Radiant Moon.”

Drayce grinned. “Exactly.”

Blayke leaned back into his seat and folded his arms across his chest. “So, what do you want to do? Head into the second floor today?”

“Hmmm. Not sure,” Drayce answered honestly. “Let’s just return to the Crescentia for now and work out what to do from there.”

“Fair enough,” Blayke agreed.

They rode the rest of the way to their guildhouse in silence. The ride was a thankfully short one. As soon as the carriage pulled to a stop outside of the Crescentia, Drayce and Blayke immediately hopped out. Drayce paid their driver for their services before wishing him well for the rest of the day.

As they entered through the unlocked front doors, Drayce stopped in the foyer to yell out their return, which was customary for him to do so now. Especially others now residing at the Crescentia with him.

“We’re back!”

There was the immediate sound of running feet, and from somewhere behind the grand staircase, Faelen appeared.

“Welcome back!” he greeted warmly as he happily rushed over to them.

Drayce smiled warmly at his guildmate as Blayke shut the door behind them. “Hey, you look excited.”

Faelen folded his arms behind his back and rocked slightly on his feet, a grin on his lips. “I was just exploring the Crescentia with Zohar.”

Glancing up from Faelen, Drayce noted that Zohar had appeared from the same area of the Crescentia. He looked relaxed, carefree even. There also seemed to be a subtle sense of amusement in his gaze.

It was…nice to see. Zohar getting along with the others of their guild. Drayce knew he would fit in.

“You do not mind?” Zohar questioned him as he approached.

“Not at all,” Drayce replied. “Find anything interesting?”

Zohar nodded his head. “You appear to have a very interesting basement.”

Drayce blinked. “Wait, I have a basement?”

The corner of Zohar’s mouth twitched, seemingly threatening to break out into either a grin or amused smirk. Instead, he nodded his head again. “Indeed. There’s a fully equipment training room down there.”

Without having to look over at his friend, Drayce lifted his hand to place a finger to Blayke's lips. He didn’t need to look at him to know that Blayke was just bristling. "Shh, I know. It’s awesome."

He felt Blayke twitch. Possibly attempting to hold back words of scepticism and disbelief. 

Drayce continued to smile joyfully at the two before him. “Training room, huh? Let’s go check it out.”

“This way!” Faelen said cheerfully as he turned on his heel and rushed back in the direction of which he came.

Drayce had to chuckle as he moved to follow him at a slightly slower pace. Though Blayke was likely to complain about the ridiculousness of it all, he also moved to follow.

Reaching Faelen’s side, the Therian pointed to a rather inauspicious door located upon a wall behind the central staircase. Drayce remembered briefly seeing it before, when he made his first sweep of the place. He figured that it was a storage room essentially, since it was located in the nook behind the stairs. He had wanted to inspect it then, but got distracted with other things.

Come on, could anyone blame him? He was in his grandfather’s beloved guildhouse! There were just so many awesome things to look at!

Opening the door, they were greeted by a set of descending stairs. From where they stood, it wasn’t obvious what was downstairs. There was a light on, illuminating the stairs, but that offered no glimpse as what could be down there.

Though, as Faelen hurried down the stairs, essentially eager to show Drayce and Blayke something, it was obvious that there was something truly interesting down there.

As Drayce descended the stairs, he had to admit that he wasn’t quite ready for what was waiting for him.

The room appeared to be about half the size of the library on the third floor. Training mats, training dummies, wooden practice weapons were littered about, clearly in good shape but untouched for a few years. There were even some weights located in the corner of the room. Why, even a punching bag.

Spacious, tall ceilings. Pretty impressive!

“Wow, it’s bigger than I had imagined,” Drayce said as he walked out into the middle of the room, openly admiring everything.

“Quite impressive, I must say,” Zohar agreed.

And as predicted, Blayke sighed as he folded his arms across his chest. “Honestly, this place is just too outrageous for me,” he muttered. While he did sound disgruntled, Drayce knew him well enough to know that he was also impressed.

“Don’t be a party-pooper,” Drayce immediately teased. “Anyway, this means that we can train without the fear of setting the entire garden on fire.”

“Just the building instead,” Blayke immediately returned.

“I don’t know about that,” Drayce said as he turned his attention toward the thick walls around them, noticing something quite interesting. “There appears to be some flame-retardant materials on the walls and ceiling.”

Blayke actually perked up a little at that, and also turned his attention toward the walls. “Eh? Oh, you’re right. Kamali will be pleased about that.”

“He would,” Drayce agreed with a smile. A curious expression soon appeared on his face, though, and he turned his attention to Faelen. “Hey, Fae, where are the others anyway?”

Faelen tilted his head to the side in thought for a moment. “Well, Kamali, Shashi, and Ashton are in the library, cleaning up the place. And Fiorello is in the clinic. Caelem is outside with Nashoba just to look around. I think they’re both feeling restless.”

“With the Moon Legacy no longer draining Caelem of his spiritual energy, it’s no surprise he’s restless,” Drayce explained. “He has a lot more energy to burn now.”

“Hmm,” Blayke held his chin as he mused to himself. “Maybe he would be up for some training later?”

That would be a good idea, actually. They’ve got a training room now, so it made perfect sense for them to actually use it.

“If you guys train let me know; you can go against my Decoy Bunkers,” Drayce suggested.

“Sure,” Blayke said as he dropped his hand to his side, to which he promptly planted on his hip. “Anyway, this is another large room in this surprisingly large guildhouse. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a basement to this basement.”

“Wouldn’t that be awesome?” Drayce returned with a grin, earning himself a roll of the eyes from Blayke.

Faelen laughed into his hand before he folded them back behind his back cutely once more. “Come to think of it we haven’t finished exploring every room yet.”

“You’re right, we haven’t,” Drayce replied. “I guess no time like the present.”

“I’ll get the camping gear,” Blayke muttered, which prompted Drayce to simply laugh as he led the small group up the stairs.

“How about we start with the top floor? We might even have an attic!”

So, the four of them made their way up the grand staircase to the third floor. The stair’s landing led out toward the library, making it the centre of attention of everyone who walked these stairs. While Drayce was indeed joking when he suggested the possibility of an attic, and with the discovery of the basement it was more than likely that they did indeed have one.

But he was actually interested in exploring the third floor. Due to the library and all the goodies within, they hadn’t really bothered to inspect the rest of the floor. It made sense, as they were busy with the safe removal of the Moon Legacy and then the recovery of the Radiant Moon. The library was their main focus point in their research.

So with the Radiant Moon safely within the vaults of the Council Hall, they could finally start focusing on their own guildhouse. With the only focus of the second floor being the stairs to the third, they had time to finally get the Crescentia in order.

As Drayce walked along the land, leading away from the library, a rather unsuspicious door on the opposite end caught his attention.

“Huh?” he uttered as he headed straight over to it. “Has this door always been here?”

“Well, I doubt it popped up overnight,” Blayke said as he followed him closely behind, likely both cautious and curious. “It’s on the same floor as the library, so we probably just overlooked it.”

Yeah, that made perfect sense.

The moment that Drayce was close enough, he reached out to grasp the handle and attempted to turn it. “And it’s also locked,” he stated as he leaned forward to inspect the keyhole. 

He could see straight through to the other side, so it wasn’t the same situation as when they first encountered the library. And that meant that there was a light source of some kind. A window more likely than not. So, if it was a window, it would be safe to say that it wasn’t some supply cupboard.

He shrugged, stood back up, and reached into a pocket of his jacket. “No biggie.”

Faelen immediately appeared at his side, a look of interest on his face. “Picking the lock?”

“Yup!” Drayce replied as he pulled out his lock-picking set. “Ashton might actually have the key without knowing it, but it’s quicker this way. It’s just a normal, old fashion lock so it won’t be hard.”

“I could call for Theodore, if you wish,” Zohar suddenly suggested from where he stood on the other side of Drayce. “I’m certain he can enter the room and unlock the door from the other side.”

Drayce paused in his search for the right tool to look over at Zohar with a curious look. “Oh, that’s handy too.”

“Ugh…” Blayke uttered as he stood behind Faelen, easily peering over his head. “I’d rather have Drayce pick the lock.”

The corner of Zohar’s mouth twitched, once again holding back a smirk, but nodded his head nevertheless. “Very well.”

“We’ll call for Theo if I fail miserably at this, kay?” Drayce compromised. He was actually interested in seeing Theo at work, but wouldn’t put Blayke in any discomfort. So, another time. There were sure to be other opportunities with locked doors.

Blayke still didn’t look thrilled by the prospect, though. “Yeah, alright.”

Kneeling down in front of the door, Drayce inspected the lock again before he pulled out his tools. It took him a moment or two to get a feel of the tumblers within. He unconsciously stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth as he concentrated.

Finally, there was that satisfying “click” sound.

“And there we go,” Drayce said with a satisfactory tone.

Slipping his lock-picking tools back within his leather pouch, he pushed himself to his feet and pushed the door open with his hand.

The room held a dusty, stagnant smell. It wasn’t a rotten, decayed smell thankfully. And it was bigger than he had expected. Larger than the drawing room. A large oak desk covered in folders and scrolls sat in front of tall windows there were framed in dark red drapes. Velvet, more likely than not. There were also numerous bookcases with what appeared to be a mixture of documents, folded parchments, and leather-bound books.

“Hey, it’s an office,” Drayce said as he stepped further into the room and made his way over to the desk. “Oh man, awesome, it even comes with a swivel chair. You know what that means?”

“The dramatic chair swivel,” Blayke immediately answered.

Drayce laughed as he placed his hand on the chair, testing its movement. “Exactly.”

“It’s as dusty as the other rooms, so no one’s been here for a while,” Faelen pointed out as he, too, made his way over to the desk.

There was the sound of clawed paws on hardwood flooring. A moment later, Nashoba unexpectedly scurried into the room and over to Faelen. He didn’t look distressed, though, simply nuzzling Faelen’s hand with his nose. Faelen immediately knelt down to give his wolf companions pats and attention.

Not far behind the white-furred wolf, Ashton and Caelem appeared. Ashton looked as relaxed as he usually did, while Caelem looked fidgety. 

“There you guys are,” Ashton greeted as he and Caelem step into the office also.

“Hey, Ash, Cal.”

“We were looking for you,” Caelem explained, his hands fidgeting in front of him. “H-have you been here the entire time?”

Drayce walked out behind the desk. “Well, no; we were actually in the training room in the basement.”

Caelem immediately perked up, an expression of excitement on his face. “You have a training room, too?!”

“Surprised me, too!” Drayce said around a laugh, honestly pleased by Caelem’s unapologetic excitement before he indicated to the space around them. “And look at what else we found.”

While Caelem looked around in interest, surprisingly Ashton only gave a curious glance before turning his focus straight back to Drayce. “Appears to be an office. On the same floor as the library.”

Drayce nodded. “Awesome, right?”

Ashton nodded his head absentmindedly. “Well, it’s pretty clear that this is yours now. You’re the leader, after all.” He paused as he gave another curious glance around before he folded his arms across his chest. “It also seems that this is the place where Roux conducted his client interviews.”

“You’re right,” Drayce said as he immediately turned his attention to the bookcases and other shelving units. “I bet these are filled with case files. I should read them later.”

“But don’t think you can hide yourself in here whenever you want,” Ashton quickly chided.

Drayce immediately felt a grin slip across his lips and he turned back to his green-haired friend. “I was totally waiting for you to say that. Ash, dude, you’re getting predictable.”

Ashton simply smiled. “Maybe. But at least I won’t have to travel very far in effort to find you. You’d be either here or the library, especially if you’re working on a project, am I right?”

“Dude, you are like a psychic or something!”

Ashton gave a slight roll of his eyes, but it was obvious that it was with fondness than annoyance. He shook his head, as if to clear it, and dropped his arms from his chest, resting one hand on his hip. “In any case, Shashi would like to get your permission on something.”

Drayce was immediately curious. “Huh? What is it?”

“He and Kamali have decided to move their vast collection of books and tomes into the library as well. For safe keeping and easy access,” Ashton explained.

Drayce folded his arms loosely over his chest as he sat on the edge of the desk. “Ah, sounds good. Having all the information in one place would make things easier in the future. Honestly, you didn’t need my permission to do that.”

“Just wanted to ask,” Ashton replied with a one shoulder shrug. “You’re the leader of the guild and owner of the guildhouse after all.”

Yeah, a guild that was growing. And a guildhouse that appeared to be growing also!

“We’ll get to work, then,” Ashton said. He dropped his hand from his hip and motioned to turn to leave, but Blayke stopped him.

“Need any help?” he asked.

“Sure,” Ashton immediately replied, seemingly happy for the help. “Transportation mostly, though. Shashi will be the one to take on the task for putting these books and documents in their ‘rightful’ place in the library.”

Blayke’s eyes narrowed slightly. “So, we’re just the pack mules?” He sighed at the nod from Ashton and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, alright, I’ll just think of it as training or something.”

“I’ll help!” Faelen volunteered happily.

“I will as well,” Zohar also offered. “I am quite curious about the books that Shashi has accumulated over the years. I will also offer my own to the library.”

“Can never have too much information on hand,” Drayce agreed, also quite interested in the types of books that both Shashi and Zohar possessed. But there was something else that piqued his curiosity more at the moment. “Do you mind if I spend a bit cleaning up the office, though? I’m just…curious about a few things here.”

Ashton turned to look him rather quickly and…almost had this look of hesitancy in his eyes. But Drayce wasn’t entirely sure as a split second later, Ashton gave him a knowing smile and nodded his head. 

“Sure. We’ll be travelling back and forth all day, most likely,” he said.

“Wait, all day?” Blayke suddenly piped up. “How many books does Shashi have?”

The smile on Ashton’s lips quickly turned to that of sheer amusement and he turned to give Blayke his full attention once more. “You’ll see,” he replied, his words purposely foreboding. 

A look of resided agitation immediately appeared on Blayke’s face, and his shoulders literally sagged with defeat. “Nngh why did I agree to this.”

Faelen laughed good-naturedly as he made his way to Blayke and playfully began to push him out of the room. “Too late to back out now,” he chided around a laugh.

Blayke released another sigh as he let Faelen push him. “Fine…”

Drayce just had to have a small laugh to himself as well. “Have fun, guys!” he called out.

He then watched as Ashton sent him another nod and smile before he, too, turned to leave the room, Nashoba at his heel. When he was out of sight, Drayce pushed away from the desk. But as he did so, he promptly realised that Caelem had remained in the room. And he appeared to restless.

“Hmm? Cal?”

Caelem jumped slightly, as if Drayce had disturbed him from his thoughts, and immediately turned to face him. He wrung his hands nervously in front of him before he curled them into fists and a look of nervous determination appeared on his face. “C-can I talk to you?”

“Of course, Cal,” Drayce immediately replied in a reassuring tone. “What’s up?”

“I-I know I’ve caused enough trouble and stuff…” Caelem begun, but Drayce had to stop him.

“Hey, you haven’t caused any trouble for us at all,” Drayce said in both a firm yet hopefully gentle manner. “Don’t think that way.”

A light flush appeared upon Caelem’s cheeks. “S-sorry. I…”

“Is there something wrong?” Drayce gently coaxed, though unable to hide the worry in his voice.

“No, there’s nothing wrong,” Caelem immediately insisted. “It’s just…I haven’t really told you about myself, have I?”

Drayce blinked before he nodded his head. “That’s true, but don’t feel pressured in telling me anything personal if you don’t want to. I will admit that I’ve been curious.”

“It’s fine, it’s not too personal,” Caelem once again insisted. “Well, not really. Anyway, I’ll start with where I’m from. I grew up in a village that trained Masuraos. At the age of 17, villagers are able to leave to go on a journey to become a Masurao warrior. Because of the embargo on Yggdrasil being lifted, I decided to come here for my training. But…”

“You were…attacked and the Moon Legacy…” Drayce filled in for him, that familiar sense of protectiveness beginning to pool in his chest.

“Y-yeah,” Caelem murmured and his ears flatted against his red hair as he glanced down at the spot of the floor in front of him. “And then those bandits appeared.

Drayce was unable to prevent a protective bristle, to which he actually verbalised somehow. “Hgn…”

Caelem immediately looked up at him, his ears perked up. “Ah? You’re bristling?”

“With protectiveness, yes,” Drayce answered honestly and had to a moment to calm himself down. “I’m just glad that we were able to find you before those bandits could have found you again.”

Caelem continued to look at him for a moment before a soft expression appeared on his face and he smiled. “…Yeah, I am too.”

Drayce returned the smile before he perched himself on the edge of the desk again. “How long have you been on your journey?”

“Only a couple of months,” Caelem replied, the tension and nervousness that had previously made his shoulders ridged, seemingly disappearing the more he spoke. “I left on the day of my birthday. As customary.” 

He was only 17 years old. A couple of years younger than Drayce was himself, but that didn’t matter. He was still younger and Drayce was still going to be protective of him.

Despite having just relaxed, Caelem began fidgeting again with his hands. “There’s…another reason I bring this up.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “Hm?”

Caelem seemed to chew on the inside of his cheek before he began his explanation. “My village…there is a legend of a Masurao warrior. We referred to him as the Turquoise Lotus Father. He was said to have fought against the Earthlain Despot during the Legendary War.”

Drayce felt himself literally perk un in interest. “Ah, really?”

“Masurao warriors all aspire to be like him in skill and heart,” Caelem continued, a small sense of pride in his voice. However, that soon dissipated and he glanced off to the side, almost as if…he was ashamed by something. “But…”

“What is it?” Drayce gently urged once more.

“I don’t know anything else about him,” Caelem answered as he turned his gaze toward him again. “I mean, I don’t even know his real name. And after what you learnt about Aura, I wanted…”

“Ah, I see,” Drayce said, immediately catching on. “Totally reasonable. There’s sure to be some information on him in the library. If not here than maybe we can beg Ramus into allowing us into the royal achieves?”

Caelem appeared momentarily surprised before barely restrained excitement took its place. “Is it all right?”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if it wasn’t,” Drayce replied with a grin. “Besides, our only goal for the second floor so far is to find the stairs to the third. No harm in doing some research between treks in the labyrinth.”

“Th-thank you!” Caelem immediately responded, even bowing forward to show his gratitude.

“Hey now, we’re guildmates,” Drayce chuckled and pushed away from the desk to stand before Caelem, ensuring that he stood tall before him once more. “That’s what being in a guild means. Besides, your Turquoise Lotus Father sounds really interesting. I’d love to know more myself.”

Caelem’s excitement was palpable. “Yeah!”


	2. Chapter 2

Night had soon fallen, and when it did, the wind picked up outside. Strong, but not alarming. It did rattle the windows and the high-pitched howling was easy to be mistaken as something ungodly to be outside, dwelling in the shadows.

Normally, the sound of howling wind didn’t bother Drayce. But tonight, after spending about an hour trying to settling into bed to sleep, he found himself feeling restless. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why. 

Whatever the reason, he decided to get up and do something useful rather than rolling about in bed trying to sleep. Perhaps the restlessness was the result of the discovery of his grandfather’s office. He had managed to clean it up the best he could, but the shelves and bookcases were left as they were. 

Those case notes and folders were just begging to be read. 

So, the office was where he found himself wandering to as he left his room, mindful to be quiet so not to disturb the others as they slept. Hopefully they slept peacefully.

As he stood before one of the bookcases, he soon realised that they didn’t appeared to be organised. Reference books mixed in with case notes and documents. His grandfather was never a very organised man. He would use the worlds “Organised Mess” to describe the chaotic state he would often leave a room when researching. It may appear to be a mess to one person, but he knew where everything was.

Or so he claimed.

Either way, flicking through the documents and books, and rearranging them into Drayce’s own version of an organised mess would pass some time, and hopefully tire him out enough to get some sleep.

Some of the case notes were interesting, though. They appeared to be hunting for caches of jewels and gold even back in grandpa’s day. With how accessible, yet inaccessible the Yggdrasil labyrinth was, it made sense that no-gooders and criminals would try to hide their stash within.

A soft, timid voice pulled him from his musings. “Drayce?”

Drayce stiffened slightly from surprise and immediately turned around. “Fae?” he questioned when he saw Faelen standing in the threshold of the door, looking somewhat sheepish. “What are you doing up? Is something wrong?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Faelen replied with a shrug, though still looked mildly sheepish. “The wind outside is annoying.”

“Ah, I see,” Drayce said with a sympathetic smile. “I couldn’t get settled myself.”

Faelen walked into the room and over to the desk, and took a seat on the high-back, leather covered swivel chair. “What are you doing?”

“Just sorting out the bookcase for something to do,” Drayce answered as he closed the folder he had in his hands and placed it back upon the shelf. “They appear to be books on supposed materials that can be found in the labyrinth. There also appears to be case notes of Grandpa’s previous projects.”

Faelen tilted his head to the side and his ears gave a curious twitch. “Case notes?”

“Archaeologists and treasure hunters can sometimes be hired by others to search for missing family heirlooms or find information on missing ancestors,” Drayce explained. “Some people aren’t able to search for themselves, you see. So, they hire someone who can.”

“Oh,” Faelen said, the intrigue in his expression noticeable. “Will you do that, too?”

“I hope we will one day, yes,” Drayce said before he shot his guildmate a smile. “What do you think? Ready to be a master detective?”

Faelen laughed and leaned back into the chair, idly twisting from left to right. His gaze fell upon the somewhat organised desk and reached out to pick something up. It was a small picture frame.

“Drayce? Who’s this?” he asked.

While Drayce knew what was contained within the photo frame (he had cleaned the desk after all), he still approached the desk and leaned over to have a look himself. “Hm? Oh, that a photo of my grandparents.”

“He looks fun,” Faelen said as he pointed to his grandfather, who stood in the centre of the photo, grinning from ear to ear, with an arm around his grandmother’s shoulders. Proudly showing her off, it seemed. “Was your grandfather a dragoon?”

“Still is.”

“And your grandma?”

The smile on Drayce’s lips dimmed a fraction upon the realisation that his grandmother had passed on. And grandpa had thrown himself into a mission soon after. To grieve, in his own way. 

“She used to be a fencer,” he answered. “One of the best, they say. She was the love of Grandpa’s life.”

Faelen quickly caught on and glanced up with nothing but sympathy in his eyes. “You miss them a lot, huh?”

“It’s only natural,” Drayce replied with a small smile and leaned back.

Faelen silently looked at the photo for a little while longer before his expression turned into that of pain and his ears even drooped a fraction. “Dray?” he murmured as he placed the photo back onto the desk. “Do you think I’ll find Sarkis one day?”

Drayce tilted his head questioningly to the side. “Sarkis? Is that the name of your brother?”

Faelen nodded his head, his eyes still downcast. “Yeah.”

“You’ll find him one day,” Drayce immediately reassured as he turned to perch himself on the edge of the desk, close to where Faelen sat.

“I hope so,” Faelen murmured softly.

It was difficult to find someone who didn’t want to be found. That was something his father used to say. But Drayce wasn’t going to say that to Faelen. Not now.

“You will,” Drayce said as he reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder. “I know you will. You’re brothers, after all. You will be together again one day.”

Faelen glanced up finally and smiled at him. “Thanks, Drayce.” He suddenly tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “Do you have a brother, Dray?”

“No, I…”

A sharp pain in the centre of his chest caused Drayce to hastily remove his hand from Faelen’s shoulder to grasp at his chest. His shoulders hunched forward and his furrowed his brow to stare at the floor in front of him.

That pain…?

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Faelen stuttered loudly and fearfully grabbed onto his arm.

“No, it’s nothing,” Drayce instinctively replied. However, he still held onto his chest.

“B-but…” Faelen spluttered, seemingly on the verge of panicking. “Did I say something wrong?”

“What? No, of course not!” Drayce immediately replied, unconsciously straightening his posture. He hadn’t meant to scare the kid like that. He certainly didn’t want him thinking it was his fault somehow! 

“It’s nothing, really,” he continued to insist with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I just…get a pain every now and again. It’s nothing to worry about. I guess…I do have a brother. A couple of them. Blayke is like a brother to me. So is Ashton. And now, so are you.”

Faelen didn’t look wholly connived with his reassurance, but he did perk up when Drayce admitted that he saw him as a brother. That seemed to make him really happy. “Really?”

Drayce smiled and reached over with his hand to ruffle his hair playfully. “Yes, really. It’s late. Let’s both try to get some sleep.”

“Ok,” Faelen relented and hoped up out of the chair. He, however, gave Drayce a worried look, his eyes trailing down at the hand he still held against his chest. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I’m fine,” Drayce insisted as he pulled his hand away from his chest and pushed to stand up straight. “Don’t worry about me. Now, let’s get to bed before Ashton goes on the rampage, hm?”

“Kay,” Faelen finally agreed.

As compensation for scaring the guy needlessly like that, Drayce decided to walk him to his room to ensure that he was comfortable for the night. Only when he said goodnight to Faelen and closed the door to his room, did Drayce stop and frowned. He pressed a hand against his chest once more and stared at the hardwood floor.

That pain…why did he get it whenever someone mentioned the word “brother”?

“Drayce…”

Drayce all but leapt a foot in the air at the familiar, but sudden voice behind him. “Woah, dude! Don’t sneak up on me!” he yelped as he spun around to find himself face to face with Ashton. “I’m heading to bed now, I promise!”

However, instead of a look of parental agitation at Drayce being up past his bedtime, there was a look of subtle concern on Ashton’s face. “…Are you all right?”

Drayce blinked. “Huh? Of course. Why shouldn’t I be?”

Ashton didn’t verbally reply, instead his eyes travelled down toward Drayce’s chest area and it was then that Drayce realised that he was still idly rubbing his knuckles against his chest.

Drayce immediately clenched his hand into a fist and forcefully dropped it to his side. “It’s nothing,” he insisted yet again. “Really. I’m…heading to bed now.”

Much like the expression of disbelief that Faelen wore, Ashton didn’t look remotely convinced. And yet in his eyes, there was also a sense of…pain? Guilt? 

“Alright,” Ashton said finally. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Drayce replied as he tensed his back, turned on his heel and made his way to his room.

… … … … … 

Despite his best efforts, Drayce did not sleep well last night.

He had a rather disturbing dream. He couldn’t remember what it was exactly. Just that…it hurt his chest. All he could really remember was reaching out a hand to someone and the desperate fear that they were being taken away from him. And there was nothing he could do about it.

That person…the one being ripped away from him felt…connected to him somehow.

…It was just a dream. A bad dream. Everyone got them from time to time, right?

When he finally climbed out of bed, he realised that it was later than when he would normally get up. And he couldn’t help but wince and throw on a set of clothes to make himself look presentable. 

After what happened last night and now sleeping in? He was sure Ashton was worried. Faelen, too, probably. He really hated worrying others needlessly like he had done last night. 

He had…better be on his game today so not to worry them further.

As Drayce stepped out of his room, he was greeted by the sight of Kamali as he walked down the stairs. Before he could call out in greeting, Kamali turned his gaze toward him and his face lit up with a smile.

“Oh, good morning.”

“Hey, morning, Kam,” Drayce returned.

As Kamali reached the bottom step to the second floor, he tilted his head to the side, his long purple hair falling over his shoulder as he did so. “You slept in late today. Is everything alright? You weren’t up all night cleaning your new office, were you?”

Drayce held back a wince and shook his head. “Not last night, no. Only for a couple of hours because I couldn’t get settled in bed. But this morning I was so comfortable I didn’t want to move.”

Kamali seemed to accept that excuse as he gave a light airy laugh. “Oh, I see.” 

“And what of Shashi?” Drayce asked as the two of them headed down stairs together. “Was he in the library all night?”

“I think brother tried to stay up all night but Ashton would have none of it,” Kamali answered, a half smile on his lips.

Drayce had to chuckle. “Ah, good ol’ Ash. It’s nice that they’re such good friends.”

Kamali unexpectedly coughed into his hand. “Um, yes.”

“Hm?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Drayce wasn’t convinced, but didn’t press any further as they had reached the bottom step. And he could hear the voices of the rest of their guildmates in the dining room. Breakfast was stilling served, thankfully. It would be, like, devastating to miss out on Ashton’s breakfast!

He would have saved him some, sure, but it was more fun having breakfast with everyone.

“Hey, morning, guys,” Drayce greeted cheerfully as he walked into the bustling room.

He got a series of “Good morning!” in return and he quickly made his way over to his seat, where a plate of breakfast sat waiting for him. No doubt Ashton’s doing. 

“So, what we got planned for today?” Blayke asked as Drayce sat down at the table.

“I’m thinking that maybe we could spend the day getting Crescentia somewhat cleaned,” Drayce answered. “There are more of us now and there’s no need to leave the place covered in dust and cobwebs.” 

Blayke nodded his head in acceptance, but a rather suspicious expression slipped across his face. “And you might find something of interest?”

That wasn’t really a question.

Drayce smiled broadly. “Dude, you know me so well! Besides, Shashi and Ashton are still cleaning up the library. Kam, I get the feeling you’ll be dragged into it, too.”

Kamali tried to laugh but it kinda came out as a tired sigh. “I already have been. I’m just taking a break now. Fiorello is also there.”

“So, we will return to the labyrinth tomorrow?” Zohar ask, seeking clarification.

“That’s right.” Drayce then glanced over in Caelem’s direction, sitting next to Blayke and poking idly at his food. “Cal, hey, up for a trek in the labyrinth tomorrow?”

Caelem stiffened and immediately looked over at him. “Yes!” he answered enthusiastically before his expression dropped and his ears folded against his head. “But…”

“Are you worried about those bandits?” Blayke was the one to ask, his face creasing into a protective frown.

“Ah, well, no, not really,” Caelem replied slowly. “It’s that I don’t have a weapon anymore…”

Oh, that was right. They didn’t find a weapon with Caelem when they first encountered, and then saved, him.

“Did you have a blade before?” Kamali asked.

“Yes, but it was taken from me when those bandits captured me.”

Drayce felt himself bristle protectively and he was certain that Blayke did the same. “Did it hold any sentimental value?”

Caelem shook his head before he shrugged. “No, not really. It was my first blade but I was hoping to search for a new one when I entered Iorys.”

“Well, that’s good,” Drayce said as he felt himself calm down. “Why don’t we head to Syrik’s shop straight after breakfast?”

Caelem blinked. “Ah, now?”

This time, Drayce shrugged. “Sure, why not?” The sooner Caelem get a weapon for himself, the better he would feel.

“You just want to get out of cleaning,” Blayke accused, his tone holding no bite though.

Drayce feigned outraged. “Why, I never!”

Caelem seemed to relax more, even going as far as chuckling. “Sure, let’s go after breakfast.”


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as they had finished breakfast, Drayce and Caelem made their way from the Crescentia and outside. It was such a nice day that Drayce decided they should walk to the Iorys markets. The fresh air would help to relieve the remnants of that troubling dream he had, and it would allow Caelem to release some of his pent-up restlessness.

It was also a good opportunity for Drayce to get to learn more about his guildmate.

“Feel free to tell me to shut up if I’m being nosy,” Drayce said as he glanced at Caelem as he walked beside him. “But is it ok to ask about your family?”

“Hm?” Caelem murmured with a curious expression. He didn’t look uncomfortable, so it didn’t appear to be a touchy subject for him. “What about them?”

“Have you been in contact with them since leaving on your journey?” Drayce inquired. 

A look of realisation immediately appeared on Caelem’s face. “Oh, I only have a grandmother at the village now. My older brother had already left on his journey. I don’t know where he is, but I have heard from him a couple of times. The beginning of his journey…was smoother than mine, it seems.”

Upon noticing the pained undertone to Caelem’s voice, Drayce immediately interjected with words of reassurance. “You’re safe now, so try not to dwell on it anymore, ok?”

“Ah, I’ll try,” Caelem promised with a small smile.

“So, your brother. What is he like?” Drayce continued, folding his arms behind his back in what he hoped was a playful way to hide the fact that he had clenched his hands at the word “brother”. 

Caelem tapped his cheek as he looked skywards, attempting to find the right words to answer him. “Hmm…He’s pretty serious and yet bursting with energy all the time. Very restless and always needs to be on the move.”

“Ah, I know that feeling!”

Caelem made a noise that was similar to a chuckle and nodded his head. “Hah. I’ve been told that I look just like him. He’s a couple of years older, though.”

“Ah, maybe he’ll travel to Iorys for the labyrinth, too,” Drayce pondered aloud before he turned to give Caelem a smile. “It would be nice for the two of you to meet after being separated for a few years.”

“Yeah, it would be,” Caelem agreed with a nod of his head. He then turned to look at him, a small smile on his lips.

However, that smile abruptly dissipated and Caelem stopped dead in his tracks, prompting Drayce to do the same. 

“….Um,” he murmured, looking alarmed.

“Hm? Something wrong?” Drayce immediately asked, concern also beginning to build in his chest. Surpassing that…ache he would get.

“It’s just…you looked pale all of a sudden,” Caelem answered, his worry palpable and obvious.

Drayce felt himself wince and he inwardly chided himself for worrying a guildmate yet again. Damn, again? It just wasn’t his day, was it? 

“Oh, I do? Weird,” Drayce said as he rubbed his cheek with his hand absentmindedly. He then waved a hand dismissively and turned in the entrance of the markets. “Anyway, we’re at the markets now. Let’s find you something useful, yeah?”

“Sure,” Caelem replied, seemingly a little hesitant. 

But he soon caught up with him and kept close as they pushed through the bustling shoppers and throngs of busybodies. Drayce was actually grateful for the crowd, though he soon realised that Caelem wasn’t exactly comfortable being around so many people. So, he ensured that the two of them stayed close, Drayce even reaching out to take Caelem protectively by the elbow and pulled him toward him in order to avoid someone walking into him.

Thankfully, Syrik’s stall wasn’t that far into the market.

“Syrik!” Drayce called out cheerfully as he waved with one hand, the other keeping a firm hold on Caelem’s elbow. “How’s business?”

Syrik turned at his voice and a broad smile made its way upon his lips. “Ah, welcome! I’ve heard you’re an official explorer now.”

“Yep. Everything done by the book,” Drayce replied with a smile and motioned to his guildmate next to him. “My guild is even growing. Meet Caelem, he’s my new guildmate.”

“Oh, a Therian. Pleasure to meet ya,” Syrik greeted merrily.

“Y-you, too,” Caelem stuttered out and bowed his head slightly in greeting. Though, he had a light blush to his cheeks. Easily embarrassed, it seemed. Just one of his charms.

“So, what can I do for the two of you today?” Syrik asked as he turned his attention toward Drayce.

Drayce nudged Caelem forward slightly, though kept a hand on his back. “We’re looking for a blade for Caelem here.”

Syrik grinned from ear to ear. “Well, you’re certainly come to the right place! Managed to get my hands on some new wares. Be sure to check them out!”

Drayce just had to chuckle at the shopkeeper’s enthusiasm and he gave Caelem another gentle push. “Go ahead, Cal. Pick any you want. Don’t worry about the price.”

Caelem’s ears had dropped slightly to rest against his head, apprehensively. “If you’re sure. D-don’t go anywhere, ok?”

“I’ll be right here,” Drayce immediately promised.

That seemed to ease Caelem’s worries and his ears immediately perked up. He nodded his head before he turned to follow Syrik to look at the types of weapons he had to offer.

And just as he had promised, Drayce stayed exactly where he stood. He, of course, couldn’t help but look around. At the goods laid out on tables and sheets upon the ground. Weapons, armour, bottles of medica. There were also jewels and crystals. Those found on the first floor, if he wasn’t mistaken. Seemed that Syrik catered to both explorers and locals. Quite the entrepreneur. 

A few moments of just browsing was broken by the return of Caelem. And cradled in his arms was a long, slender blade. “Hey, how did we go? Picked something you like?”

With his ears perked straight up and a smile of barely restrained excitement on Caelem’s face, he nodded his head. “Y-yes! “

Drayce had to laugh. He looked happy and excited. Good for him!

“Well, that’s great!” Drayce said in return before he turned to look over at their shopkeeper. “How much, Syrik?”

“That’s 500en, please~” Syrik answered, absolutely thrilled with the prospect of a successful sale.

Caelem’s excited expression faltered slightly as he looked at Drayce with worry. “Is that too much?”

Drayce shook his head as he reached into his coat to pull out the necessary cash. “Not at all! Here you go, Sy. Is it ok if I call you Sy?”

Syrik eagerly counted his payment before he smiled broadly. “With this amount of money, you can call me anything you like~” he playfully said in return.

“Fair enough!” Drayce laughed before he gave the shopkeeper a friendly farewell salute. “Thanks for the help, Sy. We’ll catch you later.”

“Hope to see you again soon~!”

Caelem kept a firm grip on his new weapon as they navigated their way through the crowds to the exit of the markets. “Th-thank you for buying this for me.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” Dryace immediately replied as he slipped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him toward him playfully. “You look eager to try it out for yourself. Why don’t we grab Blayke for some training when we get home? I’m curious to see what that blade can do against my Decoy Bunkers.”

Caelem eagerly nodded his head. “Yes, I would like that.”

Good to get some practice in before they head into the labyrinth again. It would ease Caelem’s mind, as well. Drayce was certain the he was keen to be of use to them or something along those lines.

“Um…” Caelem continued again. “Can I tell you one more thing?”

“Of course,” Drayce immediately replied.

“W-well, it’s just…therians have…tails,” Caelem stuttered awkwardly.

Drayce blinked. That surprised him, honestly, and he resisted the urge to turn around to look. He was inquisitive, sure. But not rude. “Do you?”

With his cheeks flushed lightly in both shyness and embarrassment, Caelem nodded as he kept his gaze forward. “We tend to keep them hidden,” he explained. “They, ah, can get in the way. Especially in battle. So, we…ah, kept them hidden in our pants and stuff.”

Again, that surprised Drayce immensely. “I legit did not know that,” he replied honestly. A frown soon tugged at his lips, however. “Isn’t that uncomfortable, though?”

“It can be sometimes,” Caelem answered honestly. “And, well…”

“Well, inside the Crescentia there’s no need to hide,” Drayce interjected. “I want you guys to be as comfortable as possible.”

Caelem was definitely pleased to hear that, and it swiftly occurred to Drayce why he brought up the subject, despite how uncomfortable it made him; he was looking for permission. Honestly, Drayce wished someone told him sooner so he could have brought it up himself!

“I’ll keep my tail hidden in the labyrinth, though,” Caelem commented. “But it’ll be nice not having to inside the Crescentia.”

Speaking of the labyrinth; damn, he had forgotten to pick up more Adriane Threads. He wanted to ensure that each member of his guild had one on them whenever they entered the labyrinth. Just to be on the safe side. He should turn around and get it. But he didn’t want Caelem to walk back to the Crescentia by himself.

Ok, Drayce would walk him home first and after he was safe inside, he’d just turn around and race back. No big deal.

As soon as they reached the gates of the Crescentia, Drayce made a noise as if he had just a realisation. “Shoot, I forgot something. Head on inside. I’ll just race back real quick.”

Caelem blinked. “Ah, ok.”  
  
Drayce nudged him toward the stairs before he turned back in the direction of the markets. “Tell those worry-warts that I’ll be back soon!” he called out as he jogged away.

As he reached about half way to the markets, crossing the path that lead toward the labyrinth, a small brown blur caused him to pull to a stop. He glanced down to notice a rather familiar chicken pecking at the laces of his boots.

“Hm? Deloris?” Drayce murmured aloud before he looked at his surroundings. If there was a chicken about, that meant that her keeper was close by. Hopefully, at least.

Sure enough, another familiar figure appeared from the entrance of the labyrinth, a small following of chickens at his heels. It was actually quite a sight to see. So many pecking and clucking chickens happily following behind a guard.

“Oh hey, Virgil!” Drayce greeted.

Virgil lifted his head and a smile soon appeared on his lips. “Oh good, I was hoping that I would bump into you today.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side and turned to face him fully when Virgil reached him. “Yeah? What’s up?”

“Come, I wish to show you something,” Virgil unexpectedly requested as he half turned toward the labyrinth. “Just by the entrance.”

Drayce blinked. “Of the labyrinth? Sure.”

He followed Virgil along the path and scaled the stairs that reached all the way up to the entrance of the labyrinth. His curiosity piqued when Virgil lead him down a small side path. Still close to the guarded entrance of the labyrinth, yet somehow still hidden.

Amongst the greenery of moss and shrubbery stood a tall, stone rune. Weather worn and grey, the stone held ancient hieroglyphics, engraved meticulously. Though he could not read them all. Just the word “forest” that repeated five times. There was a line of small crystals, spaced evenly apart. All a pale white in colour. All except two at the very bottom.

It was a rune stone. And it had to be attached to the labyrinth somehow.

Drayce openly gaped at the stone as he carefully approached it. “This…?”

Moving to stand beside him, Virgil chuckled lightly. “It’s known by a few names; Stair Jump, Warp Crystal. However, I prefer to call it Heart of the Forest. It’s a stone pillar that is believed to allow parties to warp straight to certain floors. Unfortunately, it seems that it requires finding and activating certain crystals. That is what the scholars of the Council believe.”

Drayce counted the crystals. There were thirty of them. So, did that mean there were…thirty floors of Yggdrasil. Man. That was a lot. And he had only mapped one so far!

“Warp to certain floors,” Drayce murmured as he studied the rune, though dare not touch it in case he accidently warped himself into the labyrinth. “Man, that would make trekking in the labyrinth so much easier.”

“So far, we have only access to the second floor from here,” Virgil explained as he motioned to the two bottom crystals.

Drayce nodded his head. “Yeah, we heard that there isn’t an official pathway to the third floor. But obviously people are getting there somehow.”

There was a sigh of exasperation from Virgil. “From what I understand some just brazenly climb the side of Yggdrasil.”

Drayce chuckled. “Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me. Would also explain why the Council is desperate for an official and safe passage to the next floor.”

“It doesn’t work for everyone, though,” Virgil informed him. “It seems that individuals need to encounter the crystal located on the threshold of the stairs.”

Hmm, that made sense. Only those who had reached that crystal and activated it someway would be able to warp to that floor from this rune stone. Only those strong enough to reach that floor or area earned the right to use the rune stone as transportation.

He would need to ask Shashi about it later. Perhaps a Celestian was the one who invented something like this?

“Ah, I see. Thanks for showing me this, Virgil,” Drayce said in gratitude before he smiled and glanced down at his boot when he felt a familiar pull at his laces. “And Deloris, too.”

Virgil chuckled as he bent down and scooped Deloris into his arms and sat her on the crook of his arm. Of which she happily perched on. “Sorry if we took up some of your time. “

Drayce immediately shook his head. “Not at all. This is interesting. I’ll be sure to look into it further.”

“Take care.”

“You, too.”

With his following of different coloured chickens at his heels, Virgil turned and made his way from the labyrinth. He must be off duty now.

Drayce watched him leave until he turned to look back at the rune stone. Thirty floors, huh? What could possibly be hidden within the labyrinth? What treasures, secrets? It was…both daunting and thrilling to think about.

Ah, but standing there daydreaming about possibilities wasn’t getting him anywhere!

Right. Time to head back to the markets to pick up some Adriane Threads and then head back to the Crescentia to prepare himself for a trek to the second-floor tomorrow. 

As Drayce strolled down the path leading away from the labyrinth, a prickly feeling on the back of his neck made his stop and look over his shoulder. But there was nothing there for him to look at. 

Hmm? Strange. He thought someone was behind him. Must have been imagining things.

He turned and continued on his way. That prickly feeling, however, remained. He hoped that he was just being paranoid. Nothing more.

Hopefully…


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I was too distracted playing Pokemon Shield, but I did dabble at this in-between. It’s also a longer chapter, which is another reason for taking so long (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it). So, enjoy~!

The morning air was cool and crisp as Drayce led his guildmates to the entrance of the labyrinth. Blayke was directly behind him with Caelem huddling close to him out of nerves. Upon seeing that sight, Drayce had to smile to himself when he remembered how Blayke greeted him when he returned to the Crescentia after his little errand.

“C-Caelem actually has a tail,” he uncharacteristically stuttered at him the moment he stepped through the doors.

Caelem, with a tail as long and fluffy as his hair, stood a few feet away behind him, looking confused.

Drayce had spent the next few minutes reassuring Caelem that Blayke’s reaction wasn’t negative. He just thought his tail was cute. Which prompted Caelem to start blushing and stuttering. And Blayke spent the rest of the night trying to act cool. 

The whole thing was fun, honestly.

Next to Caelem walked Faelen, Nashoba by his side. Their presence offering the Therian a sense of comfort. 

While his tail was hidden from view at current, he too seemed to appreciate the fact that he didn’t have to hide while inside the Crescentia. Unsurprisingly, his tail was the same unique colour as his hair. But was far fluffier than Drayce had anticipated.

It made him wonder just how…uncomfortable it was for them to have to hide their tails like that. He also couldn’t help but feel that there was another reason why they kept them hidden from view when out in public.

Zohar took the rear, leisurely keeping pace as he pulled his coffins alongside him. He took the whole therian tail reveal with ease. Likely having known beforehand.

The entrance of the labyrinth was bustling as usual at this time of the morning. With the sky a clear blue, not a cloud to be seen, it was no surprise that other guilds were also milling about, ready to conduct their own exploration.

“You guys ready to head to the second floor?” Drayce asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

“We’re ready,” Blayke was the one to respond on everyone’s behalf, completely unbothered that Caelem was sticking incredibly close to him. “Let’s hope out first time there goes smoothly.”

He honestly did, too.

As they headed toward the once heavily fortified and barricaded entrance of the labyrinth, Drayce immediately remembered the rune stone that he had learnt about and altered their direction slightly.

“Ah, before we head in; I’ll show you what Virgil showed me yesterday,” Drayce explained as they turned right from the entrance and down a small path that led to a clearing in the forest that surrounded the labyrinth.

Unsurprisingly, the rune stone was still there, in one piece, and with only two gemstones amongst the thirty shining softly. Immediately, a few murmurs of surprise and interest erupted behind him.

“This?” Blayke questioned as he and the others inspected the rune stone.

“Yep, this is it,” Drayce answered. “See those crystals? They are set to transport you to a particular set of stairs. Only after they’ve been activated.”

Faelen inspected the crystals curiously. “There’s…thirty of them. Wait, does that mean there’s thirty floors?” he asked as he spun around to look at Drayce in surprise.

Drayce smiled as he adjusted the holster of his shield. “That’s the consensus.”

“We’ve got a long way to go…” Blayke murmured. 

Drayce slapped him on the shoulder in a friendly matter. “And we’re in no hurry. Anyway, let’s get going.”

Heading into the labyrinth, they turned to the right in order to reach the stairs. And in his usual spot, surrounded by his faithful and loyal chickens, was Virgil. He appeared to be speaking with a guild, likely novices on their first mission.

As soon as he was done seeing off the other guild, Virgil turned to likely greet another potential guild. His expression, however, immediately lightened when he recognised them. “Oh, good morning.”

“Moring, Virgil,” Drayce greeted cheerfully as he paused in front of the friendly guard. “We’re popping up to the second floor today, so we shouldn’t be in your hair. Lucky you.”

Virgil chuckled before an expression of realisation appeared on his face. “Ah, your first time, yes? Do you mind if I ask you something before you travel forward?”

Drayce adjusted the band that kept his shield on his back and nodded. “Sure. What’s up?”

“I take it you know of those golden treasure chests that are quite visible around this floor,” Virgil started.

“Like that one behind you?” Drayce returned, his gaze flicking toward the golden treasure chest that seemed to both blend in but stand out amongst the greenery of the labyrinth. “Yeah, I’ve noticed them.”

Virgil shifted on his feet. “You haven’t inspected them?”

Drayce shrugged. It made sense that Virgil would be asking him why he hadn’t broken his neck trying to get to them. He may not know that he’s a treasure hunter, but it was still a valid question.

“I’ve been a tad busy the few times I’ve been on this floor, but I have noticed them,” Drayce explained before he shrugged again. “I take it they’re to help boost morale for the rookie explorers?”

Virgil was momentarily surprised before he smiled politely and nodded his head. “Yes, that’s right. For the first two floors at the very least.”

Yup. Nothing more tempting to a rookie guild than a golden treasure chest in full view. For seasoned treasure hunters, the treasures that were hard to locate or even see held the most value.

Like the Radiant Moon of Compassion, for example. Hidden on the first floor, in a place that was inaccessible and yet people passed by all day, every day for nearly a thousand years. It was right there and no one knew. 

That was the kind of treasures that Drayce was interested in.

“Yeah, I had thought as much which is why I haven’t been breaking my neck to get to them,” Drayce replied.

That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t curious to know what was inside those golden treasure chests!

“Ah, I see. I’ve been curious,” Virgil said before he went on to explain further. “We guards have been ordered to ensure that the treasure chests are well stocked but with all the new explorers lately, it’s been hard to remember who had retrieved the treasure inside the chest and who hasn’t.”

Drayce immediately understood what he meant. “Don’t want anyone doubling up. Fair enough. I’ll leave those treasure chests alone for now. For these two floors at least. I can’t promise anything about the higher floors.”

Virgil laughed. “That’s more than reasonable.”

“Besides, I’m more interested in what’s hidden than what is in plain sight.” Drayce adjusted his grip on his shield and straightened. “Well, better get a move on. The second floor won’t explore itself.”

“I best get back to work also,” Virgil said as he glanced over Drayce’s shoulders. “Have a good day.”

Drayce nodded his head and motioned for the others to follow him. “And you.”

“Oh, don’t forget the crystal,” Virgil reminded.

“Got it!” Drayce said as he waved back, still leading the party to the stairs.

“Crystal?” Blayke questioned and Drayce simply sent him a smile.

“You’ll see~”

Passing through a set of doors and between two small streams of water they came across a simple stone and wooden structure. Inside was a set of stairs, made from stone and spiralling upwards. As they stepped inside, the lightening immediately waned. Not to pitch black, but visibility was definitely affected. It thankfully wasn’t stifling inside, nor was it a long spiralling staircase. About twenty steps in total.

They ascended the stairs in silence and soon stepped through onto the second floor. The same lush greenery and clean air greeted them as they stepped out into the sunlight.

As the others filed out from the stairs, Drayce turned to look back toward the archway. He quickly inspected the stonework and it wasn’t long until his gaze fell upon a small crystal nestled within the stone and moss. Clearly, that was the crystal that Virgil told him about.

Faelen seemed to have noticed the gemstone, also, as he moved to stand next to him and tugged on the sleeve of his coat. “Is this linked to that Star Jump you told us about?”

“I think so,” Drayce replied. “Apparently, you have to activate it in order to be transported to these set of stairs. I assume it’s nothing more than just touching the crystal. I take it we all need to do it.”

Drayce raised his hand and slipped off his glove. He then gently brushed his fingers against the simple light green gemstone. Just as his fingers touched the smooth surface, it flickered a soft, subtle light. It lasted only a second, but Drayce was certain its reaction indicated that he crystal, and possibly the deva within, had accepted him. 

He didn’t receive a negative reaction, after all.

He took a step back to allow the others to introduce themselves to the gemstone as well.

“Go ahead,” he urged.

Faelen was the first to step up, and he did so eagerly. As he brushed his fingertips against the stone, he received the same reaction, the crystal flickering lightly.

One by one the other stepped forward and tapped the crystal with their fingertips. And they all received the same reaction.

Well, that turned out easier than expected. Which was a good thing. He just needed to remember to introduce the others to the warping crystal the next time they venture into the labyrinth.

“Well, with that out of the way, let’s get exploring, shall we?” Dayce instructed before he turned his attention to Faelen. “Ready to map with me, Fae?”

“Yup!” Faelen immediately responded, full of enthusiasm. 

“Let’s just focus on the mapping today, yeah?” Blayke suggested. “We’ll look for that other hidden staircase later.”

“Sounds good,” Drayce immediately agreed as he reached into his coat to pull out the parchment of which he would use to draw their map. “Now, which direction should we head in first?”

“There’s a place where we can pick herbs and flowers not far from here,” Zohar supplied for them. “There is also a place quite close to the stairs that is quite ideal for a campsite.”

Drayce looked up at him, surprised. “Really? Ah, you’ve been to this floor before, then?”

Zohar nodded his head once slowly. “A few times in my travels, yes.”

From where he stood between Caelem and Faelen, Blayke roughly crossed his arms across his chest plate. “So, you know about those large monsters, then.”

Again, Zohar hid head. “Toxipedes, yes. They will prove to be no trouble. Unless provoked, of course.”

Well, they had better try not to provoke them then. Those Wild Dogs of the first floor were bad enough. The monsters that dwell on this floor are said to be even more dangerous than them.

“However, if you spy any animated fungi, immediately head in the opposite direction,” Zohar suddenly warned, sounding unnervingly serious.

Drayce blinked. Fungi? “Ah, ok?”

Zohar wouldn’t say anymore, so Drayce decided to ask him more about the inhabitants of this floor later. He wanted to avoid any battling today. Mapping was their only concern, really. Of course, one could never predict what the monsters of the labyrinth would do. Hopefully, if they left them alone, the monsters would leave them alone.

After taking a moment to get a bearing of where they were on the map, Drayce folded the parchment and placed it securely in his jacket. He then took hold of his shield and took the lead. 

“Don’t wander too far forward, Faelen,” Blayke fussed as they walked through the pathways of spiralling trees and stone.

“I won’t!” Faelen said as he slowed his steps slightly so that he was walking between Drayce and Blayke.

Drayce chuckled softly at their youngest teammate’s enthusiasm before he turned his gaze to their surroundings. The foliage of the second was exactly the same as the first. Flowers of yellow, white, pink, and purple nestled within the fallen limps of trees and stones covered in moss.

There was another thing that caught Drayce’s attention. “Hm, curious.”

“What is?” Faelen asked him.

“There are pools of water on this floor, too,” Drayce said as he lifted his chin to motion toward the natural water features. “I wonder why it hasn’t trickled down to the lowest floor yet. Water usually settles in the lowest place possible, after all.”

Blayke glanced over at the pools of water and his brow immediately furrowed. “If there are pools of water on this floor, then there’s probably some on the higher floors. I just hope one of them doesn’t decide to burst on top of us.”

“Ah, yeah, there’s that, too,” Drayce nodded his head as he glanced up at the ceiling that was lost of the canopy of green leaves and moss-covered branches. “But there’s also the possibility of caches of previous jewel heists hidden on this floor, too.”

Blayke suddenly, and rather rudely, snorted. “No time for a swim.”

Drayce immediately pouted and turned to look at him. “Dude, I wasn’t going to suggest it.”

“Yet.”

“Rude.”

Faelen laughed at the two of them, while Caelem chuckled into his hand. From where he stood at the back of the party, Zohar, too, wore an expression of amusement on his face. 

But then Caelem suddenly stiffened, his ears perked straight up on top of his head. He appeared tense, nervous even. And he looked around skittishly. That obviously alarmed Drayce. Before he, or anyone else for that matter, could ask him what was wrong, Caelem abruptly turned to face everyone. 

“What’s that?” he asked, his eyes wide.

Drayce immediately stopped walking, pulling everyone else to a stop also. “What’s what?” he asked as he turned his attention toward the red-haired masurao.

“You can’t hear that music?” Caelem unexpectedly asked as he nervously wrung his hands together in front of him.

“Music?” Drayce questioned before he fell silent and shared a look with Blayke, the fencer looking puzzled. They remained silent for a few seconds, but could only hear the sounds of birds chirping in the trees around them. Drayce couldn’t hear anything that could be confused with music. And from the arched eyebrow of concern from Blayke, he couldn’t either. 

“No, we can’t hear anything,” Drayce said as he turned to look back to Caelem.

Caelem immediately looked deflated. “B-but…” he murmured and shook his head frantically before he looked over at his teammate. “Faelen?”

Faelen’s ears twitched a couple of times before he shook his head. “I can’t hear anything either.”

An express of distress appeared on Caelem’s face and his ears flatten atop of his head. “But…”

Drayce may not be able to hear anything, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t something out there to hear.

“Easy,” Drayce said in a hopefully soothing tone and reached out to place a hand upon Caelem’s shoulder. “Remember the Radiant Moon? I was the only one who could see its light. So, follow the sound. We’ll follow you.”

Caelem appeared uneasy. But he squared his shoulders and nodded his head. “Ok.”

Drayce gave his shoulder another comforting squeeze before he dropped his hand to his side and took a step back. Everyone fell silent as lifted his head up, his ears twitching amongst his red hair.

“It’s…coming from around here,” he said as he turned to face west and walked cautiously close to the forest wall.

Drayce was immediately behind him, one hand upon his shield while the other rested on the holster of his weapon. He was readying himself for calling a Decoy Shield at the slightest hint of danger. After a few steps, Caelem stopped and looked curiously down at the ground.

“It’s…coming from here,” he said as he looked up at Drayce, his expression a mix of curiosity and unease.

“I can sense some mana within the area,” Zohar announced.

Drayce nodded his head. “There might be something buried here. Where about is it, Cal?”

“Ah…here,” Caelem pointed to the ground directly in front of him.

Drayce glanced down at the ground and studied it carefully. There appeared to be a very slight depression in the ground. If he hadn’t studied as closely as he was, he wouldn’t have given the spot a second glance. He still couldn’t hear anything, but with the way that Caelem’s ears were twitching, he could.

Only one thing to do.

“Nashoba? If you could.”

Faelen moved forward toward the small indentation and knelt down. He then pointed to the spot and clicked his tongue as he uttered Nashoba’s name. Immediately, the white-furred wolf moved to stand directly over the spot and dug hastily and quickly at the soil without any hesitation.

Nashoba managed to dig himself a reasonable size hole before his claws scraped across something hand and Caelem immediately perked up.

“That’s it!” he said as he dropped to his knees and brushed aside some clods of dirt. “That’s where the music is coming from.”

Drayce still couldn’t hear anything, but maybe he truly wasn’t the one who was supposed to.

With Blayke cautiously keeping guard, as per usual, Drayce slid off his shield and propped it to his side. He then knelt down and inspected the hole as well. He spied a rectangular object and he helped Caelem tug it out from the dirt and roots of plants and trees.

As he brushed the clumps of soil aside, Drayce noted that the object was obviously man-made. A simple wooden chest. About medium size. Something that could easily be carried with one set of arms. It didn’t feel that heavy, either.

But the silver lock on the side was definitely curious.

“There’s a lock on it,” Drayce announced as he continued to study their mysterious discovery. “Shouldn’t be too hard to crack.”

“Should we do it here, though?” Blayke, the ever cautious one, asked a very good question.

“Probably not,” Drayce questioned as he took a cautionary glance around their surroundings, also. “Let’s take it back to the Crescentia. Cal, is it still playing music?”

Caelem shook his head. “No, it’s stopped now. But it was definitely coming from that chest.”

Interesting…

In any case, they were going to cut their trek today short. For now, at least. They might return this afternoon just to give the area another going over. But for now, they needed to return to the Crescentia and inspect what they found in a secure environment.

Had to take those bandits into consideration, after all.

As they took a moment to clear off some of the dirt in order to carry the chest out of the labyrinth without gaining too much attention, Drayce paused. He felt a sudden prickle race across his neck.

Drayce glanced over his shoulder, suddenly realising how silent their surroundings were. “That feeling…” was familiar somehow.

“What?” Blayke asked quietly as his brow furrowed protectively. “What’s wrong?”

Drayce didn’t reply immediately. He took a few more long seconds to study the shadows within the foliage. “It’s…nothing,” he finally said and shook his head. “I just thought I heard something behind us. Probably a monster.”

Blayke didn’t look convinced but nodded his head. “As long as it doesn’t try to ambush us, the bastard can stay there.”

Agreed.

Nevermind that. They were heading back to the Crescentia for now, anyway. Hopefully they found something of interest. Maybe they were lucky and found something that would lead them to the stairs!

With their new discovery safely within their possession, Drayce took the lead once more. “Let’s go and see what we’ve got.”

… … … … …

The trek out of the labyrinth was thankfully an easy one. No troubles from either monsters or other inquisitive explorers. And, most appreciative of all, no sign of those bandits. Though…he did get that uneasy feeling as they headed to the stairs of the second floor.

That faded as they stepped out upon the first floor, though.

Feeling more at ease as they left the busy entrance of Yggdrasil they headed toward the comforting sight of Crescentia. There was a sense of urgency in their steps, though it was from curiosity and intrigue. Blayke, on the other hand, was on edge. Ever cautious and protective.

“We’re back!” Drayce announced as they hurried into the foyer of their guildhouse.

Appearing from the top of the stairs, Ashton hastily made his way down. “Hm? You’re back early. What happened?” he asked, his brow furrowed and his gaze critical as he inspected them all for the slightest injury or discomfort.

“Easy, no one’s hurt,” Drayce immediately reassured as shrugged off his shield and armour. “We just found something curious and interesting.”

Shashi, along with Kamali and Fiorello, also appeared suddenly and made their way down the flight of stairs. “I can sense the mana already. What is it?”

Drayce retrieved the chest from Caelem and carried it into the lounge area. “Here it is. First, I need to pick this lock.”

As he placed it upon an empty table, he reached into his jacket to pull out his lock-picking kit. He kept with him at all times. You never know when you needed to pick a lock, after all.

Behind him the others gathered. “A wooden chest?” Ashton questioned as he peered over his shoulder. “Ah, maybe you found one of those hidden jewel caches.”

Drayce shrugged as he dragged over a chair to sit down. “Maybe,” he said as he dropped down upon the chair and opened his kit. “Won’t know until I open it.”

Everyone chatted quietly amongst themselves, Faelen explaining to Shashi and Kamali of how they had stumbled across their discovery. Drayce tuned out their voices as he studied the lock. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to pick. A couple of tools would be more than enough.

Picking out his tools, he focused his full attention on the small silver lock. He had to remind himself to take it slow. He was eager to see what was inside, yes. But he had to take it slow so he wouldn’t mess up the lock.

Drayce unconsciously chewed on his bottom lip as he slowly eased the lock open. When he heard that satisfying click and watched as the lock sprung open just a fraction, he smiled widely. “And done.”

“What’s inside?” Caelem eagerly asked as he huddled closely against his back.

Drayce slowly pulled back the lid and was greeted with something he hadn’t been expecting. A small chest, carved from dark wood. Spirals and carving that appeared to be ancient hieroglyphics adorn the lid. Most prominent was a small plate of gold with a small indentation at the very centre. An indentation that gave the indication that something had once sat there. Or needed to be placed within.

“Hm?” he murmured as he tilted his head to the side as he carefully lifted the chest from its confinement. “It seems like one of those personal trinket chests. I think it’s sealed in some way, though.”

“So, there’s a box within a box?” Blayke muttered with a sense of exasperation. “And this box has a seal on it? Figures.”

Drayce rolled his eyes slightly at his friend’s lack of enthusiasm. But that was just Blayke for ya.

Before Drayce could make some quip about Blayke being a party-pooper, Caelem suddenly fell against Drayce’s back, his hands on his shoulders in an attempt to get a closer look at what he was holding. Drayce blinked at the sudden movement, but managed to keep still. 

“W-what, that’s the symbol of the lotus!” Caelem all but shouted in realisation and surprise.

Drayce blinked again and peered up at Caelem, still not moving an inch. “Hm? Wait, is that the same symbol of the one from your village?”

“I-it is,” Caelem immediately replied, his eyes wide. “C-can I see it?”

“Have at it.”

Caelem immediately, but carefully, took the trinket box from Drayce and seemingly unaware that he had been resting against Drayce’s back, having all but launched himself there, took a step back. He held their discovery in his two hands and carefully lifted it this way and that to look at it from every angle.

“It’s definitely the same crest as my village,” Caelem finally stated. “But…there’s no lock. I can’t see anyway to open it.”

Drayce stood in front of Caelem. “Looks like the only way to open it is to find a charm or amulet in the shape of a lotus to fit in here,” he said as he tapped at the lid with his index finger.

Caelem looked at where he had indicated and it took a second for him to realise what that meant. And he immediately deflated, his ears drooping atop of his head in disappointment. “Oh…”

“Sorry, Cal. Sometimes it’s like that,” Drayce said as he retrieved the trinket box from him and handed it over to Shashi, who eagerly snatched it up and began to inspect it. 

“But maybe it’s somewhere in the second floor of the labyrinth?” he suggested as he reached out to place a hand on Caelem’s shoulder once more. “I know it’s a long shot, but it probably has some mana on it. So, there’s a chance that Kamali or Zohar will be able to sense it. Or maybe you’ll be able to sense it.”

Although still disappointed, Caelem seemed to accept that. “You’re probably right.”

“If all else fails, we’ll try blowing it up,” Drayce half joked with a smile.

That got a small laugh from Caelem and he shook his head. “I hope we won’t have to do that.”

Caelem may laugh, but blowing things up was still something that would be considered for the truly stubborn locks. The cannons dragoons used wasn’t just for monsters, after all.

“These symbols are intriguing,” Shashi commented as he placed the trinket box upon another table and pulled out a notebook from his pocket. “Are they of ancient Therian dialect?”

“I think so,” Caelem answered before suddenly looking sheepish. “But…I can’t read them.”

Shashi simply nodded his head absentmindedly as he continued to study his latest project. “What of you, Faelen?”

Faelen, of course, squeaked in surprise as the question. “M-me? No, I can’t read them either.”

Again, and completely unperturbed, Shashi nodded his head as he jotted a few notes down upon his notepad. “Well, no matter. I’m sure I can get my hands on a book that will help translate what these symbols mean. It’ll just take a little longer than usual.”

Drayce was immediately reminded of how lucky he was to have such an unfaltering scholar on his side. “Anything you discover would be awesome.”

Shashi made a few more notes in a hurried flourished before he stood up straight. “I’ll get to work then,” he said as he turned to leave the room.

As he did so, however, he walked past Ashton. Whom of which was shaking his head in exasperation.

“Don’t sigh and frown at me, Ashton,” Shashi chided as he slapped the man lightly on his arms that were folded tightly over his chest.

Ashton continued to looked exasperated. “At least there were a couple of days of peace,” he muttered aloud for everyone to hear, to which was immediately waved off by Shashi as he disappeared up the stairs.

“Oh, you enjoy this stuff as much as anyone else,” Drayce couldn’t help but tease.

Ashton arched an eyebrow at him, but smiled nevertheless. “Ah, can’t deny that,” he said as he unfolded his arms and gave Drayce a rather…terse look. “But I am your caretaker, after all. I won’t hesitate to use force.”

Drayce nearly broke out into a cold sweat upon that…threat. “I-I’ll remember that.”

Ashton continued to stare threateningly at him to get his point across just that little bit more before he relaxed and smiled a friendly grin. “Well, that didn’t take you very long, did it?”

Drayce shrugged and grinned also. “Well, I am a treasure hunter. Finding mysteries and treasures is what I’m all about. At least with this one we might have a slight head start on it.”

Faelen made his way to Drayce’s side and tugged on the sleeve of his coat again. “What do we do now, Dray? Should we head back into the labyrinth?”

Drayce mulled over the question for a moment before he nodded his head. “We probably should. We weren’t in there for very long. I’m curious about those gathering points anyway. Coming, Cal?”

From where he stood with Kamali, Caelem immediately stiffened at being called. “Oh, yes, coming!”

Kamali gave Caelem’s arm a slight squeeze as he walked past him to head upstairs himself. “I’ll try to find what I can on this Turquoise Lotus Father figure of yours.”

“Th-thank you, I appreciate it,” Caelem immediately replied.

Snatching up his shield and armour, Drayce led his guildmates once more. “Tell Shashi not to push himself too hard!”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Things have been quite hectic with the holiday season and, ya know, everything basically on fire. I’ve personally had a couple of bushfire emergency watch and acts. Not to mention that the smoke is making me feel constantly headachy and nauseous. Anyway, have a long chapter to make up for the wait. Hope you enjoy~

There appeared to be more explorers inside the labyrinth now. As it was mid-morning, it made sense. But they seemed to be mainly focused within the first floor. Though the trek to the stairs to reach the second was short, Drayce didn’t see anyone else along the way.

However, as he stepped out onto the lush grass of the second floor, Drayce got that distinct feeling that they weren’t the only ones who had ventured here recently. It wasn’t anything alarming. They were venturing within a labyrinth, a place where guilds explored at will. So of course, there would be someone else milling about.

After recent events, however, Drayce just couldn’t help but be cautious. “Hm?”

“Again?” Blayke griped as he stood next to him. “What’s wrong?”

“Rude,” Drayce chided lightly with a click of his tongue before he shook his head. “Anyway, I think there’s someone else on this floor.”

“I think you’re right,” Faelen said with a tone of nervousness. “Nashoba is sensing something as well.”

Drayce turned to face his teammate and found Faelen crouched down on the ground next to Nashoba, his arm over the back of the white wolf. Nashoba had his ears straight up, his eyes focused forward, and his tail down. His hackles weren’t raised, so he wasn’t in defensive mode. He was in cautious mode, though.

And he wasn’t the only one.

“…Probably just rookie explorers,” Blayke muttered, even as he subconsciously took a step closer to Caelem, whom of which also looked uneasy.

The only one of their party who wasn’t wearing an expression of nervousness was Zohar. He gazed at their surroundings with interest, his posture relaxed, the coffins that he wielded as weapons floating idly by his sides.

Perhaps they were just feeling nervous about entering a new floor. Zohar had ventured through these paths before. If he suddenly started to act defensively, then something was clearly out of line.

Even so…

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s nothing,” Drayce said with a smile. “But just in case; Cal, stay close to Blayke and I’ll take the lead, ok?”

Caelem nodded his head and took a step closer to Blayke as well. “Ok,” he said simply.

They fell into a somewhat comfortable silence after that. Drayce, as he said, took the lead with a hand on his cannon. Behind him was Blayke, and close to him was, of course, Caelem. Taking up the rear was Zohar with Faelen and Nashoba in front of him.

Though Drayce thought it might have been best for Zohar to take the front with him, since he had been to this floor before. But perhaps it was best that he took the last spot. He didn’t want to have either Faelen or Caelem there, and he knew that protective Blayke preferred to be near the front so that he could launch himself into battle as soon as possible.

As they silently move deeper into the labyrinth, Drayce thought he heard a sound. It was faint, but it didn’t seem to match their surroundings. Before he could ask if anyone else heart it, Caelem suddenly uttered a sound of surprise.

“D-did you hear that?” Caelem asked, similarity to when he did previously, which caused everyone to promptly turn to face him.

Next to him and grasping a hold of Nashoba’s collar, Faelen nodded his head. “I did this time,” he murmured as his ears twitched.

“I heard a faint sound,” Drayce replied.

“It was a startled yelp,” Caelem said firmly. “Followed by another…sound. A monster, I think.”

“Hmm,” Zohar murmured in thought. “Perhaps that rookie guild has encountered the FOE on this floor.”

Blayke arched an eyebrow. “FOE?”

“Hm? Oh, it’s just an abbreviation for Formido Oppognatura Exsequens,” Zohar explained. “Just something to call the monsters that are far larger and more powerful than those that are smaller than they are.”

Drayce wasn’t sure what those three, long fancy words Zohar just said, but it sounded dangerous.

“Great,” Blayke muttered bitterly.

If a guild had indeed come afoul of a FOE, then Drayce had to see if they’re alright and if they needed help. It might be a rookie guild, it might not be. It might be veterans fighting with the monster. He didn’t know. 

And he didn’t like not knowing.

“Let’s go,” Drayce urged.

Blayke sighed as he reached for his sabre. “Needless to say.”

Nashoba seemed to understand what Drayce wished to do as he darted forward, leading them down a few winding paths. Drayce took the lead as per usual, while the others stayed close behind him. They reached and then passed through a set of doors, and immediately stopped dead in their tracks.

Near a pool of water stood two figures. One with green hair and obviously a pugilist. The other was a therian, though his class was less obviously. They, male in appearance, did carry a bag on their back, indicating that they were likely a gatherer. The pugilist stood before the other, the two huddled behind a boulder for safety.

They weren’t what drew his full attention, though. It was the large creature throwing a right fit between two streams of water. And it seemed to have its full attention on the two explorers.

It looked like a massively overgrown caterpillar of sorts. Blue and pink in colour with large, menacing pinchers on top of its head and two more near what Drayce could only assume was its mouth. Er, mouths? Two more black, and more likely than not venom covered pinchers were located near its rear.

It was…ah, much bigger than Drayce had anticipated. Far bigger than those Wild Dogs that was for sure!

It also looked far more ferocious. Trashing its head from side to side, pinchers snapping agitatedly. To say that it appeared pissed off was an understatement.

Drayce really didn’t want to fight the thing… 

“Let me guess, that’s a FOE?” Blayke muttered, seemingly through gritted teeth.

“A toxipede to be exact,” Zohar answered dryly.

“Even better…”

Drayce had heard a few tales about those creatures called toxipedes. Like the name suggested, they were rather poisonous. The toxin was life-threatening if not taken care of immediately.

They didn’t have Fiorello with them today. 

“Whatever it is, it’s furious,” Drayce said as he shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s clear that those two there aren’t trying to fight it.”

Hopefully, they didn’t have to either. Still, he had to do something. 

Drayce straightened his posture and reached for his cannon. “Everyone stand back; I’ll use my Decoy Shields to distract it so we can slip behind it. Do not engage it unless absolutely necessary. Nashoba, stay with Faelen. Theo, a little help?”

The cartoonish white ghost that was Theodore immediately appeared next to Drayce’s head.   
“He’s ready,” Zohar replied.

“Good,” Drayce said as he let Theodore nuzzle against his shoulder rather affectionately. “Theo, help distract it while I get the decoys ready, ok?”

Theodore all but purred happily in response. A rather odd reaction from the wraith, but a welcomed one nonetheless. Ah, he probably just enjoyed the prospect of being useful.

“We’ll go north-east,” Zohar suddenly said to him. “Lead it south-west for now.”

Right. 

“Let’s go.”

Though it went against his better judgement, Drayce dislodged his shield from his back and dropped it to stand next to him. He wouldn’t safely manoeuvre around the enormous creature while lugging a heavy shield with him. He’d have to rely on his Decoy shields for now.

Drayce trusted the others to get themselves out of danger, so he focused on what he needed to do. As Theodore boldly and fearlessly floated toward the toxipede, startling the creature with his appearance, Drayce took a moment to study the FOE further.

While he would do whatever was necessary to ensure that they didn’t have to fight the thing, he still made some mental notes to himself.

A back attack was unlikely to be too successful due to the two claws-like appendages on its rear. Though its large stature gave Drayce the impression that its sides were vulnerable. He didn’t want to agitate it any more than it was, but he needed a counter measure in case his Decoy Shields didn’t get its full attention.

Heading downwind from the FOE, Drayce managed to set up two Decoy Shields in front of the thick foliage. With the shields in place, he ducked away, out of sight before Theodore also abruptly disappeared from view. The Toxipede immediately honed in on the decoys, drawn there by the shields’ natural agitating effect towards monsters, and charged forward.

“You two, run!” Drayce ordered the two unknown but bewildered explorers.

They seemed stunned for a moment before the pugilist snared the therian by his wrist and immediately led him away.

He headed over to where he dropped his shield. As he picked it up, he heard and felt the destruction of his Decoy Shields. He winced and spun around to watch as the toxipede stood on the exact spot he had placed the decoys. It continued to thrash its head wildly, looking for more prey that knew was still out there. 

However, it was somewhat of a distance away. Enough for Drayce and the others to slip behind it and to find somewhere safe.

Lugging his shield onto his back, Drayce quickly located north and headed in its direction. Not wanting to risk calling out to the others to find their location, Drayce was relieved when Theodore abruptly appeared again and silently led him to where Zohar could be seen.

“Is everyone all right?” Drayce immediately asked, slightly out of breath.

“All are accounted for,” Zohar said as he reached out and took Drayce by the upper arms and pulled him toward a small alcove where the others had taken shelter. “Including our two guests.”

“Thank goodness,” Drayce murmured, quickly surrounded by the rest of his guildmates.

“You all right?” Blayke immediately asked and Drayce nodded his head.

“Yeah. Man, that thing is pretty damn big, huh?”

“I’m just glad that we don’t have to fight the thing.”

So was he!

“But it looks like we’re going to have to use an Adriane Thread or continue forward,” Drayce mused aloud as he glanced over his shoulder, getting a glimpse of blue as he did so. “Getting around it a second time is not a sure thing. We’ll worry about that later, though.”

Drayce shrugged off his shield again and stood it near the entrance of their little hideaway. Some protection was better than none. As he did that, his gaze shifted to the two figures that had taken refuge along with them.

“Go ahead and see what that thing’s doing now, but don’t leave the area,” Drayce instructed the others as he slung his gun over his back. “I’ll check on those two.”

Blayke looked displeased by something and side-eyed the two cautiously. “You sure?”

He was simply acting that way because he didn’t know them, so Drayce wasn’t worried.

“It’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Drayce said as he clapped a hand on Blayke’s shoulder. “I’m sure they’re just two explorers.”

Blayke didn’t look convinced. “Can’t be too careful.

“You’ll come to my rescue if anything happens~” Drayce teased, which earned him a roll of the eyes from Blayke.

Dropping his hand from Blayke’s shoulder, Drayce made his way over to the two still unknown explorers. They were talking to each other in hushed tones. Though, from their body language alone, it appeared that the pugilist was worried for their companion, while the therian appeared to be attempting to alleviate their concern.

“Hey, you two all right there?” Drayce called out in a friendly manner as he approached them.

The green haired pugilist immediately turned to look at him. “Whew, yeah, we’re good. That bastard came out of nowhere.”

The brown-haired therian nodded his head rapidly in agreement. “Yeah. Thanks for the help!”

“Yeah,” the pugilist replied before he folded his arms across his chest in a slightly indignant manner. “I mean, I probably could have taken it on by myself, you know. Just caught me by surprise.”

“Sure, Sal,” the therian answered with a rather fond expression on his face.

Drayce smiled at the two. They felt and appeared completely harmless. Glad that he was able to help the two out. “Well, the name’s Drayce.”

“The name’s Salim,” the pugilist replied and pointed to his companion. “And he’s Tokala.”

“Hi!” Tokala replied cheerfully.

“Despite the circumstances, it’s nice to meet ya,” Drayce said in earnest. “My guild’s name is Angelward. Are you a two-man guild?”

“Ah, yeah…” Salim said, hesitantly.

A light shimmer of red caught Drayce’s attention and he focused in on Tokala. Around his neck was a necklace that was on a silver chain. But it was the red crystalline pendant that caught his eye more than anything else. “Huh…That necklace?” he muttered unwittingly.

Tokala glanced over at him and his smile abruptly faded as he reached up to clasp his hand tightly around the red pendent. It in a matter of seconds, he shoved it back under the collar of his shirt. He kept his hand pressed against his chest, clutching it through the material.  
  
He was suddenly very tense and cautious. Had that necklace gotten him into trouble before? Perhaps some unwanted attention at least. It was quite eye-catching. It wasn’t often that a lotus was depicted to be bright red. No, more of a ruby red.

Hmm…

“Sorry, your necklace reminds me of something,” Drayce said with what he hoped was a friendly, completely non-threatening smile. “That’s…a lotus, right?”

Tokala took a slight step back to stand closer to Salim and Salim himself seemed to respond with a protective step in front of him. Tokala continued to peer around him, however, to look at Drayce with a slight sense of curiosity in his eyes. “Yeah?”

“I don’t mean to pry,” Drayce continued to reassure. “It’s just quite beautiful. And it…reminds me of something I’ve seen before. Quite recently actually.”

Tokala seemed to perk up at that, though his hand seemed to tighten around the hidden pendant. “It does?”

Though Tokala looked curious, Salim’s frown unexpectedly deepened and he seemed to grow tense. He kept himself firmly planted in front of Tokala, who inauspiciously stayed hidden behind. Clearly Salim was protective of Tokala for a reason. There was a difference between being protective of someone in general, and being protective for a reason.

That pendant was in the shape of the lotus on that box they had only just discovered. Could they be that lucky? Or was it merely a coincidence? Or…something else? Either way, he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure that pendent was the same. Caelem would know, but he may get excited at the possibility and may unintentionally startle Tokala. And, clearly, he was skittish enough.

Drayce needed to try to defuse the tension somehow. And the best way was to show that he was an honest person.

“Well, you see, I’m an archaeologist,” Drayce explained with a smile. “Come from a longline of them. And I’ve seen that pendent shape somewhere else. A small treasure box, to be precise. One we can’t open.”

“Huh, is that so?” Salim replied as he folded his arms tightly across his chest, looking somewhat sceptical. Not fully though, so cautiously sceptical? 

He wasn’t going to get anywhere with the way they were currently. They were in the middle of the labyrinth and Salim and Tokala were both hesitant. Drayce wasn’t going to demand to look at the necklace in order to prove his theory that it might somehow be connected to the wooden box back home. It might just be a coincidence. But it truly looked so similar to the small indentation.

Well, there was really only one thing to do.

“Listen, I’ll be honest; that necklace is very familiar to me, but I won’t demand to see it. You have your reasons of being cautious and I won’t push you. But, could I at least ask you to stop by my guildhouse? Even just for a visit? You’re new to Iorys, right?”

Salim and Tokala remained silent as the shared a look. They quickly looked back at him, both of them wearing quite quizzical expressions. As if they couldn’t fathom him somehow.

That was a look that Drayce was getting a lot these days. Sheesh!

“Your guildhouse?” Tokala finally asked.

Drayce smiled. “It’s known as the Crescentia. You can’t miss it. It’s a big old place near the market district and the path leading to the labyrinth. The name plaque is out front.”

“We’ll see,” Salim was the one to relent as he dropped his arms from his chest. He still looked tense, but less guarded now.

“Drayce!” Blayke suddenly called out to him. “That bastard has finally skittered away. We can get back to what we were doing.”

“Great!” Drayce said in response before he turned back to their two guests. “We’re just mapping this floor for now. What about you two?”

“Eeh, we’re just looking around,” Salim replied.

“Um, yep, just being nosy,” Tokala added with a friendly grin on his lips.

It was obvious, though, that they weren’t being fully honest. Drayce couldn’t believe that there was any maliciousness involved, though.

“Being nosy and picking fights with monsters, perhaps?” Blayke asked them, picking up on their previous dismissiveness.

“We didn’t do anything,” Salim replied adamantly as he glared at Blayke. “That bastard was all pissed off before we encountered it.”

“That’s right!” Tokala insisted, frowning as he jumped to Salim’s defence. “We just walked around a counter to find it already irritated. It was thrashing around as if looking for something. It then turned to face us before charging at us!”

Huh, already irritated? Maybe there was another guild ahead of them? Or maybe another monster had irritated it?

Or maybe…

Well, whatever the reason, that was certainly quite the introduction to a FOE. Were they all like that? Overly aggressive? And he though the Wild Dogs were bad!

“Strange,” Zohar mumbled from behind Drayce. “They are usually content on pacing their territory.”

Drayce glanced over at Zohar to find him with a slight crease on his brow. “Do you know much about it?”

“Only the essentials. I’ve encountered a few on my…travels,” Zohar admitted. “I’ve never encountered one this aggressive before.”

Hmm…Yeah, that was rather strange. And curious.

“Well, whatever happened, it’s over now,” Drayce said in a hopefully pacifying and comforting manner. “That toxipede, or whatever it was, had wandered off. We can get going now. You two can tag along, if you want. I can only assume there are more of those FOEs on this floor?”

He directed that question toward Zohar, turning his head to face the necromancer. He received a nod from Zohar, affirming his assumption.

“What do you think, Sal?” Tokala whispered to Salim.

“I’m more than enough to protect ya.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just…I’m curious. They seem really nice. And maybe you can show them how awesome you are when we eventually encounter more monsters.”

“Well, I am pretty awesome. Hah, alright. Only because you want to.”

“Thanks, Sal.”

Pretending to have not overheard their conversation, Drayce waited expectantly as the two turned away from each other and back to him. “Well?”

“Sure, we’d love to tag along,” Tokala answered cheerfully.

Drayce’s protective side was relieved and he smiled at the two. “Well then, why don’t I introduce everyone? This is Blayke, Caelem, Faelen, Nashoba, and Zohar. Guys, this is Salim and Tokala.”

“Hi!” Faelen happily chirped next to Drayce before he moved toward Tokala, likely drawn to his fellow therian. “Are you and Salim a guild?”

Tokala regarded Faelen with a sense of curiosity, but friendliness nevertheless. “We’re best friends. We grew up together from the same village.”

“Ah, I see. That’s cool.”

Drayce chuckled to himself as he left Faelen asking Tokala friendly, non-intrusive questions, and picked up his shield. “Well, let’s get back to exploring, then.”

Despite Blayke’s cautious nature, Salim and Tokala fell in easy with the others of their party. Faelen was the one doing most of the talking, mostly to Tokala who chatted back easily. Caelem walked quietly behind them, looking at Tokala with curiosity while Salim ensured that Tokala didn’t stray too far from him.

Zohar took the rear once more, gazing at everyone in front of him with a…peculiar expression. It caused Drayce to wonder if he was feeling left out. Or if he was pondering about something.

Drayce made the mental note to talk to him about it later. Whether he was fine with taking the last spot or not.

As they entered a clearing with pools of water and twisting, moss covered trees, a flash of blue caught their attention. And they all winced and braced themselves. Another one of those toxipedes could be seen at the southern end of the clearing. Pacing back and forth between pools of water.

Salim made a sound that was a mixture of disgust and agitation. “Uuuuugh, it’s that shitty centipede bastard again.”

“It doesn’t appear to be the same one,” Zohar pointed out.

“And it’s not immediately chasing us,” Faelen added from where he crouched next to a defensive Nashoba.

That was right. The thing must have noticed their presence. They hadn’t exactly been very quiet the last few minutes. The FOE was just simply pacing back and forth for some reason.

“Is this their normal behaviour, Zohar?” Drayce asked as he turned to give the necromancer his full attention.

Zohar stared at the FOE for a few seconds before he nodded his head and turned to look back at him. “Yes. They are surprisingly placid when it’s not breeding season.”

That answer was reassuring, but it also piqued Drayce’s interesting. How far had Zohar travelled into the labyrinth? And how much did he know about its inhabitants? Prior information was indeed very handy; he just couldn’t help but wonder if Zohar had travelled so far…alone.

That thought troubled him.

“Whether this is normal behaviour or not doesn’t matter,” Blayke suddenly mumbled. “It’s still in our way.”

Ah, good point. Just by looking at their surroundings, it appeared to be pacing on the path they need to move forward. Maybe he could use a decoy shield to distract it and they can slip behind it? But…would that leave the FOE irritated? Just like the last one?

“Couldn’t we, like, throw some food in the opposite direction and sneak around behind it?” Tokala suddenly suggested.

Drayce held his chin in thought. “Hmm. That could work. We don’t have any food on us, though.”

Tokala brightly and motioned to the bag on his back. “I do!”

Salim immediately whipped around to face him, indignant by something. “You’re not giving that bastard any of my food!”

Tokala laughed as he swung the bag from his back. “Relax, Sal,” he said as he reached into his bag. “I have some Moon Apples. Maybe I could throw one of those.”

“As long as it’s not any of my meat,” Salim muttered as he folded his arms somewhat childishly across his chest.

“Ah, a meat-man, huh?” Drayce chuckled.

“That’s all he eats,” Tokala answered. “I have to shove vegetables down his throat with a stick. Now, where did I-ah!” A triumphant look appeared on his face as he pulled out a moon apple and promptly handed it toward Salim. “Here’s one. You throw it, Sal, you have better aim than me.”

“Just don’t hit it,” Blayke warned.

“Where should I aim?” Salim asked as he stepped forward, readying himself for the throw.

“Aim to the right of it,” Drayce suggested. “So, it’ll have its back to us as we slip past.”

Salim nodded his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. He then hitched back his arm, paused for a second, before he threw his arm forward, sending the apple flying. His aim was pretty good, actually, the apple landing softly on the grass a foot or so away from the toxipede before bouncing across the ground.

The sound and the moment of the apple rolling immediately caught the attention of the FOE. It wheeled its head around in the direction of the apple and snapped its pincers a couple of times. It then seemed to locate the apple. Unexpectedly, it made a slight chirping sound. A happy-sounding sound. It then scurried over to the apple and lowered its enormous head.

With the FOE clearly distracted, Drayce motioned for the others to follow him. And keeping as quiet as they could, he led them around the toxipede, ensuring that he was between his guildmates and the monster at all times.

But, thankfully, they got around the toxipede without issue. And a few seconds later, the FOE went back to its pacing, seemingly unaware of them have ever being there.

“Well, that was certainly easier,” Drayce said and gave Tokala a pat on the shoulder as he walked past him to get to the front of the party once more. “Great job, Tokala.”

Tokala flushed lightly at the compliment and rubbed the back of his head. “Thanks. I just figured that everyone loves food, including monsters. Salim certainly does!”

“Damn straight I do!” Salim said, loud and proud.

Caelem tilted his head to the side questioningly. “You have a lot of food on you.”

“Oh, ah, I really enjoy cooking, especially over a campfire,” Tokala explained with a sheepish shrug of his shoulder. “And Sal eats whatever I cook. As long as it’s vastly meat, though!”

Blayke folded his arms across his chest, seemingly accepting that answer. “Well, knowing how to cook is a good skill to have.”

Drayce blinked when he realised that Blayke was staring potently at him from the corner of his eye. “Dude, why are you side-eying me?”

“I’m just thinking that you having the skill to actually eat something would be a good skill for you to have,” Blayke answered, with a noticeably accusatory tone in his voice.

Now, Drayce was just indignant. “I eat!”

“Only after someone reminds you to eat or shoves a plate of food right in front of your face.”

“Nooo, don’t you nag me. Ash is already on my case about that!”

Faelen laughed at the two of them, which prompted Tokala to turn to him with an amused and curious expression. “Oh, you have more guildmembers?”

“Yep! They’re at our guildhouse cleaning up the library,” Faelen explained.

Hmm, speaking of the others, they had better continue their own investigation for anything strange or unusual found on this floor.

“Let’s get back to trekking,” Drayce instructed. “We’re losing daylight.”

They quickly fell back into formation and fell into a comfortable silence. 

As the leader once more, Drayce ensured that they kept a steady but cautious pace. Not only did he have to look out for danger in the forms of monsters, but he also had to keep the thought of bandits to the back of his mind. He also needed to carefully inspect their surroundings in case they find something either connected to the trinket box they discovered, or something that could lead them to another treasure. 

“H-hey,” Caelem stuttered unexpectedly. “You ok?”

Concerned, Drayce turned to find out who Caelem was directing that question to and paused when his gaze landed on Tokala. Despite the light red flush to his cheeks, he also looked pale. Washed out. Dazed even, as he tiredly turned to regard Caelem.

“Hm. Huh? What?” he muttered.

Salim was immediately pressed against his side, his arm around his back and waist. “What? You have a headache?”

“Sorry!” Tokala squeaked before he sighed and touched his forehead with his hand. “I’m fine. I just felt tired all of a sudden.”

“Why don’t we all sit down for a while?” Drayce asked gently.

Tokala shook his head, though that didn’t seem like a good thing to do. He leaned heavily against Salim, even as he insisted, “I-I’m ok!”

Of course, he wasn’t convincing anyone. But…Drayce felt it would be best for them to continue moving. Just for a little bit longer. He just couldn’t help but feel that there was…something to their surroundings. He couldn’t quite explain why he felt that way. He just did.

A hand settling on his back pulled Drayce from his thoughts. He turned his head slightly to regard the one who had gained his attention and noted that it was Zohar.

“There’s a shaded area just ahead,” Zohar enlightened. “Let’s push forward just a little bit more.”

Drayce looked at him cursorily. Did Zohar also feel as if there was something unusual about their surroundings?

“Sure, sounds good,” Drayce said.

Salim continued to hold Tokala close to him as they returned to their trek. Slower, this time. But they kept a steady pace nonetheless. Zohar walked with Drayce this time, however, leading them to an area that was quiet and shaded. It looked safe enough for them to sit a while if need be. 

Although, it was getting late.

As they turned a corner heading eastward, Drayce glanced over to Tokala, noting instantly that he didn’t appear as pale as he did previously.

“Hm? You’re looking better. Did your headache ease already?” Drayce questioned.

Tokala brushed aside his hair from his forehead. “I…yeah, I guess it did.”

Drayce turned to look down that path they had just passed. 

That area? Strange.

…Well, he would have to file that peculiarity to the back of his mind for later. The sunlight was growing dim. “Hah, it’s getting late.”

“And no sign of those damn stairs,” Blayke muttered bitterly.

“We haven’t checked every nook and cranny yet,” Drayce tried to pacify. But he had to admit, he was curious. Where could a set of stairs hide? If it was hidden behind the foliage, surely someone would have found it by now?

A slight tug on his sleeve pulled him from his thoughts. “Drayce?”

Drayce immediately looked to his side, knowing that it was Faelen who wanted his attention. “Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Nashoba is acting defensively again,” Faelen explained as he released his hold on Drayce’s sleeve to gently run his fingers through Nashoba’s fur in an attempt to calm him.

“I see,” Drayce muttered. Now that Faelen mentioned it, Drayce did feel as though they were being watched. 

It didn’t feel like that of those FOEs they had encountered, either. 

“Let’s return home for now,” Drayce said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an Adriane Thread. He always kept at least three on him in case of emergency. “I’m still not overly comfortable with trekking around at night.”

Noting that it was indeed growing dark, Tokala turned his attention to his companion. “Sal?” he asked softly.

“I’m not comfortable with it either,” Salim instantly replied, his arm still firm around his waist. “You should return to town, too.”

“Not going without you.”

“As if I’d let you wander out of here on your own anyway.”

Tokala smiled fondly. “Right.”

Drayce regarded the two. “Do you guys have an Adriane Thread?”

Salim turned to look at him, confused. “What’s that?”

So, they weren’t official explorers.

“Take this,” Drayce insisted as he pushed his Adriane Thread in their direction. “It’ll take you straight back to town in a flash.”

“Wow, really?” Tokala uttered in awe as he reached out to take the thread from him.

But Drayce kept a firm hold on it and looked at the both of them firmly. “Yeah. Official explorers can buy them at the market.”

Tokala immediately retracted his hand and looked sheepish while Salim winced. “O-oh…”

Drayce sighed and opened his hand, letting the thread rest in his palm. “You can still use it. All I ask in return is that you visit the Crescentia. I don’t know why the two of you are in the labyrinth alone, but now that I know about the two of you, my protective instincts won’t let you wander about on your own. It’s too dangerous with five people, let alone two. Certainly not without the use of an Adriane Thread.”

Both Tokala and Salim just stared at him for a moment in complete silence. Gauging his sincerity, or perhaps baffled by his deal.

Finally, Faelen broke the silence by cheerfully stating, “You really should visit the Crescentia, Tokala. It’s amazing!”

Tokala glanced over at Faelen, his shoulders hunched slightly in apprehension. However, after a moment he managed a small smile and nodded. “…Sure,” he uttered as he retrieved the Adriane Thread from Drayce. “We’ll be sure to visit.”

“We’ll see you later, then,” Drayce said.

Tokala gripped the Adriane Thread in both his hands, and a second later a bright light enveloped both him and Salim. When the light faded, the spot where they once stood was completely empty.

“You sure it’s ok to let them know about the Crescentia?” Blayke asked.

Drayce wasn’t worried about those two knowing. “It’s fine. They’re not anything to be concerned about. They’re…searching for something. And I think we can help them.”

“I see,” Blayke said, still somewhat sceptical, but that was just his nature. He sighed and looked away as he muttered something under his breath. “Living up to your compassionate title, it seems.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in question. “You say something?”

“Nah. Let’s go,” Blayke said as he reached into the pocket of his armour and pulled an Adriane Thread of his own. “I’m actually getting hungry.”

Now that he mentioned it, Drayce was, too. Ash was sure to have the kitchen fired up. 

“Let’s get home then,” Drayce said simply as Blayke activated the Adriane Thread for them.


	6. Chapter 6

Drayce was about to ascend the stairs when a light, almost awkward knock at the front doors pulled him to a stop. He immediately turned around and hurried to the door. The stained-glass panels did not allow him to see who was on the other side, but he had a small hope that he knew who stood on the front porch.

Sure enough, as he opened the door, he was face to face with two familiar figures. Salim stood with his arms folded across his bare chest, while Tokala stood next to him with his hands folded behind his back and bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. 

“Hey, you came!” Drayce greeted the two with a smile. “I’m relieved.”

“Yeah, well, we…sorta owe you for yesterday,” Salim explained as he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “Tokala…was safe with you guys.”

Tokala’s energetic personality dimmed slightly, his ears folding against his head as he turned to give Salim a soft look. “Sal…”

Safe? And the look of apology from Tokala. That wasn’t the normal breed of protectiveness. Something must have happened to cause Salim to be suspicious of others. And for Tokala to feel the need to apologise, yet won’t say the words.

“Why don’t you come in?” Drayce offered as he opened the door further to allow them to step inside. “We just finished having breakfast, but we can whip something up for you if you haven’t eaten.”

Tokala soon plastered a smile to his lips as he moved first to step inside, with Salim close behind him. As they moved into the foyer, though, Tokala looked around in genuine surprise.

“Wow, this place is huge!”

“It looked big on the outside, but it’s bigger inside,” Salim commented as he looked around, too. “The hell?”

“I ask myself that every day,” Blayke said as he walked from the dining hall, no doubt lured out by the sound of new voices.

Salim immediately turned to give him a confused look. “Eh?”

“We haven’t even discovered all the nooks and crannies of this place yet,” Blayke explained as he folded his arms across his chest roughly, his expression in his usual scowl. “It’s like a labyrinth of its own.”

Drayce chuckled to himself and closed the door. “No monsters, though. Inside at least. The back garden is a little…uncharted right now.”

Tokala laughed good-naturedly as he walked around in awe. “This place sounds awesome! Right, Sal?”

“Yeah, it kinda does,” Salim muttered. He appeared rather stubborn and didn’t want to outright show he surprise.

But Drayce was fairly certain he knew how to win him over. “There’s a training room in the basement.”

“Aww, yes, sounds really awesome!” Salim immediately cheered, earning another laugh from Tokala. 

Drayce had to have a laugh himself. They were an interesting pair. Tokala appeared cheerful and energetic. Very supportive of Salim. And in turn, Salim seemed single-minded and full of energy. Yet there was a sense of supportiveness in his actions, too. He wasn’t just protective of Tokala, he was determined to see him safe.

Prompted by the noise, the other members of his guild ventured out of the dining hall. Faelen spied Tokala and a bright smile appeared on his face and he hurried over to him. It seemed that there was something about Tokala that drew him to him. Perhaps it was the kinship between Therians?

“Tokala, you made it!” Faelen greeted happily.

“Yep!” Tokala returned just as cheerfully. “Said I would, didn’t I?”

“Ah, so we have company,” Ashton greeted politely as he cast a precautionary glance over their new guests.

Salim turned to regard him but did a double take. Even going as far as to reel his head back in surprise. “Eh? Are you a pugilist, too?” he blurted out.

Ashton arched an eyebrow. “Hm?”

Drayce felt confused by the question. Ashton as a pugilist? Sure, the guy was strong, but Drayce hadn’t seen him throw a punch at anyone. Never looked like he wanted to. Oh, sure, he had gotten frustrated with Drayce and his family’s work ethic, but he had never been angry. 

“Huh? Ah, this is Ashton. He’s a scholar who works with my father. He’s also the guild dad.”

Salim frowned deeply. With a heavy dose of scepticism. “Just a scholar? Huh. You totally felt like a pugilist.”

Ashton regarded Salim with an unreadable expression on his face. He soon folded his arms across his chest, however, and smiled politely. “Flattering. But these muscles are from dragging around treasure hunters and archaeologists who are abysmal at taking care of themselves.”

“Ashton is really good at throwing Drayce over his shoulder,” Faelen added with a cheeky flourish of his tail.

Drayce spluttered and flushed. “Y-you saw that?!”

Faelen found great amusement in his reaction, it seemed.

Even Kamali had a soft chuckled before he introduced himself to their guests. “Hello. My name is Kamali. Faelen and Caelem have told me about you.”

“O-oh, it’s nice to meet you,” Tokala said in response, surprisingly shy or perhaps intimidated by Kamali. He was probably just embarrassed because Caelem and Faelen had gossiped about him or something.

Kamali suddenly tilted his head to the side as his brow furrowed lightly in concentration. “Hm? I detect a faint sense of mana.”

“Yeah? Where?” Drayce asked, though he had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

Kamali raised his hand in an attempt to narrow in on the source of mana. His hand soon moved toward the Therian before him. “On…Tokala.”

“H-huh?” Caelem was the one to react first. React with a sense of fear at that. “He’s not-?”

“No,” Kamali whirled around to give an anxious Caelem a reassuring look and word. “I don’t believe it was like…what happened with you.”

Caelem’s ears relaxed and he uttered a short, shaky sigh. “O-oh, that’s a relief.”

The trauma he had experienced when he was the vessel for the Moon Legacy still affected him. And he did not want anyone to go through what he had. Honestly, no one including Drayce himself did not wish for anyone to go through that pain again.

Tokala stared at Kamali with a subtly fearful expression on his face. His hands had reached up to the collar of his shirt and clutched the material tightly. “…It’s my necklace, isn’t it?” he asked, softly.

Kamali turned around to regard him again with a curious tilt of his head. “Necklace?”

So, Drayce was right. The necklace did have some significance. And was likely the core reason for Salim’s protectiveness. “That’s also the reason you’re in the labyrinth?”

“So, what if it is?” Salim immediately snapped defensively. 

Tokala’s ears flatted sadly against the top of his head and he turned to give Salim that sad look, exactly like the one from before. “Sal…”

Drayce immediately attempt to pacify the protective pugilist. “Hey, no need to be defensive. We’re not a threat.” While he had been told not to go around discussing his resume, he felt it best in this situation. “I’m…a treasure hunter, also. If you’re looking for something, I can help. And…I may have already found it.”

That immediately gained Tokala’s attention. “What do you mean?”

Drayce paused for a bit as he thought about the best way to approve the situation. “Can you please show Caelem your necklace?”

“Huh?” Caelem blurted out in surprise and pointed toward himself. “Me?”

Tokala was equally confused. “Ah…ok,” he said after a moment of hesitancy. He reached beyond the collar of his shirt to reveal the red gem of his necklace and walked over to Caelem. With the chain still around his neck, he shakily showed the pendant to Caelem.

The moment Caleme saw the pendant, he stiffened. His ears perked straight up atop of his head and his tail bristled. “That’s-! Th-that lotus. It is the same as the symbol of my village!” he half stuttered, half yell.

Caelem’s reaction rightfully startled Tokala and he took a half step back in surprise. “Y-your village?”

“The village of the Turquoise Lotus Father,” Caelem explained, calmer this time.

A faraway look appeared in Tokala’s eyes. “Turquoise Lotus…?”

Caelem whipped around to face Drayce excitedly. “W-wait, Drayce, that pendent-”

“Yeah,” Drayce replied with a nod of his head. “I think it’s what we need to open that treasure box.”

“I’ll go get brother,” Kamali said before he turned on his heel and rushed up the stairs. His brother was likely to be in the library. His usual residence, it seemed.

“Let’s wait in the seating room,” Drayce suggested in an attempt to calm Tokala’s anxiety.

Tokala was understandably nervous as he clutched his red lotus pendant in both hands. But nodded his head, his curiosity of the mentioned treasure chest and whether his necklace was indeed vital to opening of said chest.

Drayce kept close to Tokala in order to give him some reassurance as Ashton and Blayke attempted to placate Salim’s protectiveness.

Not long after everyone who was curious gathered into the seating room, Shashi appeared with Kamali behind him. In Kamali’s hands rested the wooden chest. 

As Shashi’s gaze landed on Tokala, Kamali placed the chest upon a table close by. “So, you’re the one I had sensed.”

Tokala was startled once again, the poor guy. “H-huh?”

“This is Shashi,” Drayce introduced. “He’s a scholar and sigil specialist. He’s been inspecting that chest I told you about.”

“May I see the necklace?” Shashi requested. As Tokala unfurled his hands around the pendant, Shashi leaned forward to visibly inspect the piece of jewellery. “This mana is similar to the one that the chest has been emitting.”

“Only one way to really prove it,” Drayce said as he guided the nervous Therian over to the table. He then motioned toward the small lotus shaped indentation that resided in the very centre of the wooden lid. “Tokala, when you’re ready, please place your pendent here.”

Tokala took a moment to study the treasure chest. “This…looks the same,” he murmured.

He reached around to the back of his neck to unlock the chain. With the chain free, he held the red pendent with his fingers. And though he was hesitant, worried about any possible reactions, he slowly and carefully placed the jewel within the indentation.

It clicked into place. Pressing in like a button.

A pulsing red light suddenly radiated out from where the pendent rested and spread out like a spiderweb along the wooden treasure chest. The ruby-red light pulsated for two heartbeats before dissipating as quickly as it had appeared.

The unexpected reaction caused Tokala to jump back a step. “It…s-something happened.”

Drayce pushed forward to lay his hands upon the wooden lid of the box. As he touched it, he immediately felt lighter than it did previously. That meant; “It’s been unlocked.”

Caelem immediately huddled against Drayce’s back. “W-what’s inside?”

Good question. Time to find out!

Being careful, Drayce lifted the lid and placed it upon the table next to the chest. Inside was a folded piece of parchment. Quite old, it seemed. Frayed and yellow around the edges. That piece of paper was all that the small chest contained. Other than a piece of green velvet lying the bottom. 

“Hmm,” Drayce murmured as he carefully unfolded the parchment. 

“What’s that?” Tokala asked as he also huddle close.

Instead of written words upon the parchment, there were just lines. A gridded system. “It seems to be…a riddle of some kind? No. It actually looks more like a map. But without any sketches or markings.”

“I sense more mana,” Shashi stated as he pushed his way through the small group to lay eyes on the parchment.

“Ah, could this be similar to that of the Moon Legacy?” Drayce mused.

Shashi kept his gaze upon the parchment as he held his chin in thought. “Invisible to the naked eye? Perhaps.”

Drayce handed the parchment over to Shashi to inspect further as he was indeed the expert in that area. If Drayce can’t see anything other than the gridded system, then he wasn’t of any use.

“Is this…connected to Caelem’s village?” Tokala questioned in a quiet voice.

Caelem turned to him and slowly nodded his head. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but that lotus crest is the one that adorns the altar in my village.”

Tokala’s gaze travelled down to the floor and a passive expression appeared on his face. “I could…be from there? So maybe I wasn’t abandoned…”

Drayce paused when he heard Tokala’s soft voice and Caelem’s ears perked up, having heard him, too. “Abandoned?” he repeated.

Tokala tensed, as if he realised that he had said those words aloud. His ears deflated slightly and his shoulders hunched forward. “Oh, I was…” he sighed and looked down toward the floor. “I was found wandering outside of an Earthlain village when I was a baby and Salim’s family took me in. We were raised together. But this necklace…”

He glanced over to the treasure chest where his necklace rested with the wooden lid. “I’ve always had it,” he continued. “They said that I had it tied around my neck when I was just a child. I don’t know what it means, but…I thought that it might lead me to my birth parents. Or something.”

Wow. Drayce hadn’t any idea. He immediately wanted to help him, though. Sure, he wanted to help him before but he was more determined now.

“My village raises masuraos,” Caelem explained. “Whenever someone reaches the age of seventeen, they are encouraged to leave the village and set out on a journey to become their own masurao warrior.”

Salim finally pushed his way from Ashton and Blayke and immediately glued himself to Tokala’s side. Tokala granted him a smile that was both of relief, and reassurance. “Is that so? You think someone could have taken Tokala with em?”

Caelem stilled as he pondered that possibility. “It’s…possible that someone, an older sibling perhaps, took Tokala with them when they set out on their journey. That isn’t unheard of, especially if there was no family left to take care of their younger sibling.”

“I see…”

That offered a small ounce of hope, and yet that led to the possibility that something had happened to said older sibling. If they existed.

“The labyrinth?” Kamali asked as he approached Tokala. “What brings you there?”

“There’s something written on the back of the pendent,” Tokala enlightened as he motioned toward the red jewelled necklace. “It just says Yggdrasil. So…”

Ah, that made sense.

“The Turquoise Lotus Father was believed to have fought in the Legendary War,” Caelem explained readily. “So, it makes sense that the pendent would lead to the labyrinth.”

“So Tokala could really be from Caelem’s village,” Faelen summarized for everyone and turned to give Tokala a comforting smile. “That’s amazing.”

Tokala glanced over at Faelen before he shyly looked over at Caelem. His gaze quickly shifted to the floor in front of him. A small smile soon appeared on his lips. “It…is.”

Drayce sincerely hoped that he was. The knowledge that he was part of a community would ease some of his concerns. Not all of them, however. But maybe help him feel that he wasn’t abandoned.

What really happened, though, they didn’t know. And in all honesty, they may never know. That may not be satisfactory for Tokala. Unfortunately, unless his possible sibling or other participant stepped forward with their words, finding the truth themselves would be extremely difficult.

“So, this treasure chest and potential map has strong connection to this Turquoise Lotus Father,” Shashi mused as he carefully folded the potential map and placed it back within the chest. However, he did not replace the lid, instead keeping it in one hand. “Best to start with gathering information on them, then.”

Ashton just had to utter a sigh as he folded his arms across his chest. “So back to the library then. Might as well put a bed in there.”

Blayke snorted. “It still wouldn’t be used.”

That brought a half smile to Ashton’s lips. “Ah, very true,” he said before he turned to follow Shashi and Kamali as they both made their way to the stairs and eventually to the library.

“Um, can I see the library?” Tokala requested.

“Of course, you can,” Drayce immediately replied. He had nothing to hide up there, after all. “It’s on the third floor. Fae, Cal, why don’t you show him?”

“Sure,” Faelen immediately agreed and took a hold of Tokala’s wrist. “This way, Tokala. We’ve got a lot of stairs to climb.”

“Kay,” Tokala smiled before he turned to regard Salim with a peculiar look. A silently questioning one. “Ah, Sal?”

Salim blinked, as if pulled from his thoughts. “Eh? Nah, don’t mind me,” he said as he made a shooing motion with his hand. “Go on. I’ll find you there later.”

“Ok.” That cheerful smile of Tokala’s made a swift comeback. However, this one held a more grateful tinge to it. “Thanks, Sal.”

Salim folded his arms behind his head. “Nah, forget it.” He sounded dismissive, nonchalant. Yet it was easy to tell that while Salim was still protective, he was supportive as well. And if Tokala wanted to visit the library, he wasn’t going to stop him.

Though, Drayce got the feeling that should Tokala held the most subtle of reluctance, Salim would step up and put up a fight. Verbal or physical.

With Faelen leading Tokala out of the seating room and Caelem close behind the two, Salim watched until he was certain they were out of sight and out of hearing range. After he was satisfied, he lowered his arms from behind his head and turned toward Drayce with a rather…serious expression on his face.

“Hey.”

Drayce regarded him with curiosity. “Hm? What’s up?”

“Tokala is…” Salim hesitated as he attempted to find the right words. “Is safe here, right?”

There it was again. Safe. Tokala’s safety was extremely important to Salim. Perhaps the most important thing to him. It made Drayce curious as to why. Though, the fact that Salim was protective made Drayce’s own protective heckles bristle.

There was always a reason for someone to be so concerned for someone’s safety. 

“Yeah, he is.”

“Faelen and Caelem had told him about how you helped them out, too,” Salim continued, eyeing Drayce off curiously. “Rescuing others is your thing, huh?”

Drayce scratched his cheek with his index finger. “Seems that way, doesn’t it?” He dropped his hand to his side and returned Salim’s pointed gaze with interest. “So…you’re very protective of Tokala. That’s really obvious. Did…something happen?”

Salim’s expression darkened considerably. “That necklace…has caught a few people’s attentions before,” he muttered, his tone as dark as his expression. That soon smoothed out, however, and a satisfying and cocky smirk. “Took care of them, though. Hah, never saw my thunderfist coming!”

“Good.”

Apparently, Drayce sounded protective himself as he caused the smirk on Salim’s lip to turn into a sincere smile. “So, Tokala is…really safe here. That’s good.”

Drayce was relieved that he managed to gain his trust.

“You want to stay the night?” Drayce offered. After hearing what Salim had to say, he was genuinely worried for the both of them. Sure, Salim could protect the both of them. But he couldn’t be on guard all the time. 

“There’s plenty of room. Tokala is likely to be up for hours in the library, anyway.”

Salim just looked at him for a few seconds. “…Yeah, alright,” he answered before he muttered something under his breath. Likely talking more to himself than to Drayce. “…odd guy, huh?”

Drayce didn’t quite hear everything he said. But he did hear something about someone being odd. Was he talking about him? “Huh?”

“Ah, nothing,” Salim quickly dismissed as he folded his arms casually behind his head and began to move. “Just going to check on Tokala. Later.”

Drayce didn’t press him. He simply nodded his head and let the pugilist go on his way. The library was easy to find so he was certain that Salim didn’t need someone to show him the way.

He would need someone to set a room up for them. They’d likely share out of sheer habit.

Blayke approached him and pulled him from his thoughts. “What should the rest of us do?” he asked, subtly edgy.

“I guess we won’t be heading into the labyrinth today,” Drayce replied, though he himself felt edgy, too. The need to do something to help in somewhere was always there. Especially now that they had a possible lead to go on. 

“Not yet, anyway,” he continued. “I’m…going to head up to the drawing room. I haven’t fully inspected that room yet, but that parchment kinda reminded me of a map so maybe there’s something of interest in there.”

Blayke nodded his head. “I might snatch Nashoba and go for a walk around the perimeter. Just in case.”

“Sure.”

That should ease some of his tension. Hopefully, there was nothing untoward out there. Drayce still remembered that feeling of being watched while in the labyrinth. 

He hoped he was, that the both of them where just being paranoid.

“Should we tell Ramus about any of this yet?” Blayke suddenly asked.

Drayce glanced up at the ceiling in thought. The little prince would be interested in their latest find, but he didn’t have much to offer him at current. “Let’s leave it for the day. I want a little more information.”

Again, Blayke nodded his head. “Sounds reasonable,” he said before he moved to leave the room. “I’ll catch you later.”

“Yeah.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done and dusted! A bit of an info-dump, perhaps, but the next chapters should be fun :3c Anyway, hope you enjoy and do let me know what you think~

Drayce sat at his grandfather's desk. Rather, his desk now, and cast an eye over an assortment of scrolls and maps. They were quite old, the most of them. Perhaps from the era of the Legendary War. They appear to indicate the labyrinth, but they couldn't be blindly trusted. After all, the Legendary War occurred over a thousand years ago. Thing change, new paths created while old ones were overtaken by nature.

There were a few oddities that garnered a closer look. But, unfortunately, there was only so much he could do in his office. In order to ensure the legitimacy of a map, he had to get out into the field. And he couldn’t exactly do that yet.

If nothing else, he was reassured that there were more than three floors to the labyrinth.

The door to the office suddenly creaked open and a certain green-haired fusspot stood on the threshold, his hand upon the door handle. “There you are.”

“Hey, Ash,” Drayce greeted as Ashton walked further into the room and stood before him on the other side of the desk.

“You certainly move quickly, don’t you?” he commented as he motioned to the scrolls and parchments scattered across the lengthen of the desk.

Drayce laughed as he rolled up a map idly in his hands. “It was just mere coincidence that we bumped into them.”

Ashton folded his arms across his chest. Though his expression was passive, the tightness of his lips indicated something else. “Coincidence, huh?”

Drayce stilled to study the other man for a moment. “…You sound suspicious,” he pointed out as he swivelled in his chair to face him completely. “Tokala and Salim are perfectly benign.”

“Oh, it’s not them I’m worried about,” Ashton returned swiftly. He, however, uttered a sigh quickly after and shook his head. “There’s nothing that can be helped now. Just be careful, alright?”

Good ol’ Ash. Always worrying and fussing.

“I’ll be careful,” Drayce promised in an attempt to pacify the dedicated caretaker. “Now shoo, go check on Shashi.”

Ashton dropped his arms from his chest and moved toward the door. He paused, however, and turned to regard him once more. “I’ll check in on you later, too.” He then turned and walked out the door, leaving it ajar behind him.

…Why did that sound like a threat?

Drayce just shook his head as he leaned back in his chair. Ashton had always been overly cautious, especially when that concern was directed to Drayce and his family. But he felt that Ashton had the right to be more cautious than usual.

He couldn’t help but think back to those bandits. Especially that Keane person. Something about him…was unsettling. He gave off a rather predatory vibe. The guy was likely an opportunist. Striking at any sign of weakness.

Drayce was pulled from his musings by the sound of a soft knock at his office door. Huh? Another visitor? Man, he was popular at the moment.

The door creaked open a second later and Zohar appeared much like Ashton had done moments before. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

“Zohar, hey,” Drayce greeted with a smile as he leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on the desk. “Nah, you’re not intruding. Just milling about thinking.”

“Yes,” Zohar said as he offered him a small smile and stepped into the room. He allowed the door to slip close behind him as he approached the desk. “Remarkable that you discovered another treasure to search for so quickly.”

“It is,” Drayce quickly agreed before he fell silent for a moment. And sighed as he pushed himself to his feet. “…You’re suspicious, too, huh?”

Zohar didn’t seem surprised by the response. “Ah, you’ve had this talk?”

Drayce walked out from behind his desk, leaving the parchments and scrolls alone for the time being. “Sort of. Ashton doesn’t believe in coincidences.”

“Everything that we’ve encountered feels perfectly benevolent,” Zohar stated before a frown tugged at his lips. “And yet there is this underlying sense that we might not be alone in this discovery.”

Drayce paused in front of his guildmate. “…You felt someone else watching?”

“Faintly.”

“Bandits?”

Zohar uttered a short sigh and a shake of his head, disappointed. “I do not know.”

Drayce felt a little bit of disappointment, too. Not toward Zohar, though. Of course not. Just…disappointed that they may have someone following them through their latest hunt, and they didn’t know who they could be. 

“I see.”

Zohar took a short step forward and lifted his hand, to gently take Drayce’s chin in his hand. He tilted Drayce’s head back ever so slightly so that he could look down upon him and Drayce to look up toward him. Having such eye contact should be awkward, and yet…it wasn’t. Neither was their physical proximity to each other.

“You best be careful.”

Drayce offered a small smile, honestly heartened by his concern for him. “I don’t think I’m the one they’re after.”

“Why focus on one when you can have both?” Zohar unexpectedly returned as his eyes narrowed slightly.

That caught Drayce off guard. “Huh?”

Zohar just shook his head as he trailed his fingers along Drayce’s jawline before he allowed his hand to fall limply by his side. “Just take care.”

“I will,” Drayce immediately returned. As if in an attempt to reassure the other so he would not worry for him. 

Zohar offered a small smile. “I’ll leave you be, then.”

“Ah, sure,” Drayce said simply and watched as Zohar turned around and walked to the door. He opened it and the door surprisingly quiet. Or perhaps he couldn’t hear it because of his heart unexpectedly pulsating in his ears.

He stayed rooted to the spot as the door closed before him. He subconsciously lifted his hand to touch his jawline, where Zohar had trailed his fingertips across so gently. He had a habit of taking a hold of Drayce’s chin like that. He didn’t dislike it. It startled him when it first happened, but that wasn’t a negative thing. He just…couldn’t help but feel that there was something else to it.

What that was, he didn’t know.

He had…quite the gentle touch.

Though…there was something else that actually bothered him. What did Zohar mean by having both? Tokala’s necklace was what was needed to open the chest and Salim himself admitted that the necklace had drawn the attention of a few less than honourable type. 

Drayce shook his head to clear it. There was…there was no point in wondering about it for the time being.

There was also little more he could do in both his office and drawing room. His best bet was to head to the library to see how their research was holding up.

Promising to himself that he would tidy up his desk later, Drayce walked out of his office and out onto the third floor of his guildhouse. As the door fell shut behind him, he heard the sound of footsteps. He turned to his left to find Fiorello trotting up the stairs. When his gaze fell upon Drayce in return, an impish smile appeared on his lips.

“Well, this is something,” he said as he paced over to Drayce, his hands folded casually behind his back. “I decide to leave you alone in the labyrinth for one day and you come home with two newcomers and a potential treasure.”

Drayce laughed and sent the botanist a smile. “Yup. Treasure hunter to the very core.”

Fiorello nodded his head idly as his gaze shifted over to the doors of the library. They were both open fully and they could see a few of the others milling about. In particular, they could see a certain redheaded Masurao. 

“Well, Caelem certainly seems excited about it all,” Fiorello commented, that cheeky smile of his in place.

Drayce just had to smile warmly. “He’s coming out of his shell, isn’t he? It’s good to see.”

“So is Zohar,” Fiorello unexpectedly added with a light sense of pride in his voice. “I’m actually relieved.”

Drayce’s cheeks tingled unexpectedly at the thought of the necromancer, but he brushed it aside. “I…am, too.”

Fiorello chuckled to himself and patted Drayce on the leg before he folded his hands behind his back and made to move toward the library. “You’re a good kid. I’m glad that Zohar was able to meet someone like you.”

For some reason, Drayce abruptly remembered Salim uttering something about an odd guy. And he couldn’t help but feel that he was talking about him. “…Fio, am I really that much of an oddity?” he found himself asking before he could reconsider.

Fiorello immediately stopped and turned around to face him. “Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a little odd.”

Drayce shook his head. “That’s not-”

“You really are a good kid,” Fiorello interrupted, his tone somehow light yet serious. “Don’t change.” With that, he turned around and headed toward the library once more. 

“Ah, ok?” Drayce muttered lamely in return.

Thankfully, Drayce didn’t have time to ponder on that train of thought. The sound of someone marching up the stairs caught his attention and he turned around in time to spy Blayke. With Nashoba by his side like a good little wolf, Blayke appeared slightly antsy but relaxed all the same.

“Hey, Blayke,” Drayce greeted as the fencer reached the top step. “How’s things outside?”

“Quiet for the most part,” Blayke answered and motioned toward the calm white wolf next to him. “Nashoba hadn’t reacted.”

Ah, good. Nashoba was sure to react to anything that made him uneasy.

“How’s things in the library?” Blayke asked as his gaze immediately darted in the direction of said room.

“Just heading there myself,” Drayce said as he began to walk, Blayke immediately falling in step with him. “Been in the office going through some old maps. Man, I really need to get my butt into gear and clean the drawing room. Scrolls and maps are literally everywhere.”

Blayke snorted. “It’s a room for treasure hunters. Of course it is.”

Drayce chuckled. Wow, rude. It was likely true, but still rude.

“Hey guys!” Drayce both greeted and announced. 

Caelem responded first by practically bounding over to him, excitement clearly seen in his voice, face, and mannerisms. “Drayce! W-we might have found something.”

“Wow, really?” Drayce returned, both surprised yet not so much. If there was a book that would be of use in the library, Shashi was sure to find it.

“Yes, a bit of information on the Turquoise Lotus Father himself,” Shashi explained as he stood before the table that was once against covered in books and tomes. Hopefully that piece of furniture had sturdy legs on it.

“I’m all ears,” Drayce said as he walked over to the table.

“Very well.” Shashi picked up a rather large but old book and rested it in the crook of his arm as he carefully flipped through the pages with his hand. “It seems that the Turquoise Lotus Father was a young therian who, by his own admission, had no intention of becoming a masurao warrior. He was content to live the life of a rover but was pulled into the Legendary War for a reason that is currently unclear. He took up the blade in order to rescue someone. Who that person was is also unclear. But from the mentioning of Blade Brothers, another title referred to the Turquoise Lotus Father, indicates that he may have had a sibling.”

“Brother…?” Drayce felt a sharp pain in the centre of his chest and his hand instinctively shot up to grasp at the material of his shirt. Where the pain suddenly hit him. He quickly forced his hand back down to his side, however, and ignored that increasingly familiar feeling of…longing whenever the word “brother” was mentioned.

He didn’t…he didn’t understand why that word hurt so much…

“There’s more,” Caelem continued, thankfully not noticing when Drayce flinched. “It seems that the reason why he was called the Turquoise Lotus Father was because his blade, the Shining Lotus as it was called, held a turquoise crystal and glowed with a light that was a turquoise in colour.”

“So, his symbol was a turquoise lotus?” Blayke questioned. “Then why was Tokala’s pendent a red stone?”

“That is a good question,” Shashi said as he idly flipped through the pages of the book. It appeared as that question had occurred to him before, too. “This is just speculation at the moment but it may symbolise his brother.”

Caelem’s ear flicked as a frown marred his features. “In my village I’ve never heard anything about a brother though…”

There were likely a few reasons why that was so. “Maybe the brother didn’t want to be known?”

Caelem immediately perked up. “Like with Aura?”

“Exactly,” Drayce grinned at Caelem before he turned his attention back to Shashi. “What of the parchment?”

Shashi placed the book down upon the desk and motioned toward another table. A smaller one where the parchment, along with the treasure chest and the red lotus pendant, sat securely within the centre. “We are still searching for ways to reveal the mana hidden inside.”

Drayce walked over to the table to glance down at the contents. “Tokala’s necklace opened it. Could it also be the key to revealing the hidden messages?”

“We’ve tried that and unfortunately there was only a slight reaction,” Shashi answered with a sense of disappointment and mild annoyance in his voice. “Not enough to reveal anything.”

So, they got themselves another stubborn piece of parchment, huh?

Drayce held his chin as he mused to himself for a moment, idly eying off the necklace. “A reaction, huh? Maybe it needs an energy boost. If this is connected to a time before and during the Legendary War then it’s quite old.”

Shashi took a second or two to consider that. “Very true. I’ll have Ashton and Kamali search the archives for more information,” he mused aloud. “Any luck in the drawing room?”

“Afraid not,” Drayce answered honestly as he turned to face the sigil expert. “I did find a half-completed map of the second floor. Its dimensions seemed skewed to me, though. Not sure if it’s reliable for how the floor is at present. There is something of interest though. I’ll keep studying it.”

Shashi nodded his head before he turned on his heel to venture back toward the overflowing bookcases. Where Ashton and Kamali already dwelled, shifting through the mountains of books. “We’ll return to our research as well.”

Drayce was about so say something about not working too hard and remembering to take breaks every now and again, but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. And, well, it wasn’t like he followed his own advice, right?

Drayce turned to venture back to his office when his gaze fell upon their two new guests. He honestly forgot they were there for a moment. Though, it probably shouldn’t be that much of a surprise? Blayke and Ashton wouldn’t be surprised. They’d probably have some kind of sassy, sarcastic quip about it.

“Man,” Salim muttered as he leaned back in his chair located close to the doors and folded his arms behind his head. “There’s a whole lot of doing nothing when it comes to treasure hunting, huh?”

“There’s a lot going on here,” Drayce tisked and walked over to him. “It’s called treasure hunting for a reason.”

On the edge of the chair next to Salim, Tokala appeared alert and energetic. “I think this is all really interesting.”

Salim stretched his legs out in front of him. “Not me. I’m getting bored here.”

Drayce couldn’t really blame him. And he understood the need to do always be doing something. “Why don’t you head into the basement for some training? Heck, visit the back garden. You might find a rabid acorn or two out there.”

Salim gave him a sceptical look, though made no attempt to move. “Eh? Seriously?”

“There’s also a fishing pond so feel free to go fishing.”

That got Salim moving. “Now you’re talking,” he said with eagerness as he pushed himself to his feet.

Drayce was somewhat surprised. “Hm? You’re a fisher? You don’t seem the type.”

Salim sent him a toothy grin as he idly stretched and flexed the muscles in his arms. “Don’t get me wrong, sitting around and doing nothing does my head in. But if the end result is food that Tokala cooks, then I’m all for it!”

Tokala laughed as he, too, sprung to his feet. “Speaking of cooking; can I see your kitchen? I love cooking.”

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll get Blayke to show Salim the garden and Faelen can show Tokala around the kitchen.”

As Drayce called over to both Blayke and Faelen, he couldn’t help but notice that Tokala and Salim seemed a lot more relaxed then they were when they first arrived. It was good to see, honestly. Dayce didn’t like leaving others feeling stressed or anxious.

As the four (well, five since Nashoba trotted along with Faelen) left the room, Drayce moved to leave, too. However, as he stepped just beyond the threshold of the library, a hand on his shoulder pulled him to a stop.

“Drayce.”

Drayce felt a bubble of concern unexpectedly settle in his chest upon hearing the voice. It wasn’t the owner of the voice that bothered him, rather the tone of the voice; soft but urgent. 

“Zohar?” he questioned.

“Let’s speak in your office,” Zohar replied quickly. “I have information that might be useful also. But I didn’t wish to speak it in front of the others.”

That was a little bit concerning.

“Sure, ok,” Drayce immediately replied.

Noting that the others were still busy and distracted in the library, Drayce led the way to the office. He stopped just to let Zohar step in first out of curtesy, but Zohar placed his hand against his back and ushered him in before him.

“What’s wrong?” Drayce asked in concern the moment Zohar closed the door behind them.

Zohar turned to face him. Though his expression was stoic, Drayce could, well, feel that he was worried about something. “The name Shining Lotus is familiar to me.”

“You know what it is?” Drayce asked.

“Not completely certain,” Zohar answered with a shake of his head. “But I do know, from my previous research, that it had an opposite.”

“What do you mean?”

Zohar sighed before he explained. “The blade Shining Lotus was believed to be able to cut through all darkness, bringing light to all, cutting them from their ties to their past. But another was jealous of the blade’s beauty and power so tried to create another blade that was grander in every way. However, due to the sword master’s jealousy and lower vibrational energies, the blade instead become filled with darkness and spite. The exact opposite of what the Shining Lotus was believed to be.”

Drayce drew in a sharp breath. “That’s…”

Zohar gave another shake of his head. A frown that was a mixture of frustration and disappointment marred his lips. “I’m afraid I do not know anything more than that.”

“I see.” It took Drayce a little while to allow everything he had learnt to sink in and he, too, felt a light sense of worry. Though he didn’t have all that much information, or even a name for the blade, but it was Zohar’s reaction that concerned him the most. 

“Do…do you think there’s a chance that if we locate more information on the Turquoise Lotus Father or even the Shining Lotus, we’ll discover information on this…dark blade, too?”

Zohar paused for a moment. “Possibly. From what I remember the blade is exceptionally dangerous. And was wielded by someone who fought alongside the Despot.”

“Oh.”

That was why he was so worried. Unexpectedly stumbling across the dark blade rather than the holier Shining Lotus was something they needed to avoid at all costs. Not to mention, not letting anyone else find it either.

“The Despot had generals, didn’t he?” Drayce winced. “I understand why you didn’t want to say that in front of Caelem and Tokala. Shashi would want to know, though.”

“I will speak with him and Ashton later,” Zohar promised.

“Yes, please do,” Drayce immediately replied and offered the necromancer a grateful smile. “And thanks for telling me. If you remember anything else let me know immediately, ok?”

“Of course.” Zohar offered him a small smile, clearly relieved to get it off of his chest. 

As he turned to leave, however, Drayce felt the unexpected urge to have him stay with him for a few moments longer.

“Ah, before you go,” Drayce called out before he paused, his mind attempting to find an excuse or something. “You, ah, you’ve gathered materials from the second floor, right? What can we get from there?”

Zohar regarded him curiously for a moment before he offered him another small, gentle smile. “Brown tubber, lotus fruit, and skunk cabbage from what I can remember.”

“Lotus fruit, huh?”

“It does match the theme,” Zohar returned with a light sense of dry amusement in his voice.

Drayce uttered a laugh. “It does. It might be useful. If not, Fiorello was sure to make something useful from it.”

“Ah, so we’ll be returning to the labyrinth tomorrow?” Zohar questioned.

“I would like to, yes.” Drayce sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Shashi and Ashton are the researchers of the guild while we’re the explorers. I’m sure the others are already feeling antsy about not being able to do anything.” 

“Very well,” Zohar agreed.

“So, ah, until then; want to help me with cleaning the drawing room?” Drayce awkwardly asked.

Zohar looked honestly surprised for a moment before an unreadable expression flickered across his face. Drayce thought, no rather feared he would say no, but Zohar offered him a small smile.

“Of course.”

And that brought a relieved smile to Drayce’s lips.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter done, in spite of my headaches and sinus infection :’D Anyway, hope you enjoy reading and let me know what you think~!

The delicious smell of breakfast greeted Drayce as he walked down the stairs. And as he stepped into the dining room, he received another greeting from none other than Tokala. The therian looked as cheerful and energetic as before. Perhaps even more so.

And, would you look at that, he wasn’t hiding his tail!

The same brown colour as his hair, his tail was long and fluffy (and curled into a circle at the tip), and wagged happily as he greeted everyone.

“Hey, good morning! I helped make breakfast for everyone, so eat up!”

“Tokala is quite talented in the kitchen,” Ashton stated as he placed a few plates of that delicious smelling food onto the table. “It was nice to have an extra set of hands, especially when it comes to feeding you lot.”

Drayce could honestly feel his mouth water. His stomach didn’t growl, thankfully. That would be embarrassing. “Looks delicious. Can’t wait to dig in.”

As Drayce sat down at the so-called head of the table, and his guildmates occupied the other seats, Caelem sat on the chair closest to him and tapped his arm to gain his attention.

“Is it ok if I help out in the library today?” he asked.

Drayce didn’t have a problem with that. “Sure, that’s fine.”

“We can swap places,” Kamali suggested. “I’d like to venture into the labyrinth today.”

“Ah, that’s good.” Caelem was rather relieved by that. He no doubt held the notion in his head that he was somehow letting down the guild by choosing to follow his interests rather than join his guildmates in the labyrinth. 

Drayce leaned his elbow onto the table and rested his chin in the palm of his hand as he regarded Caelem. “You’re really into this research stuff, huh?”

Caelem instantly flushed a light pink. “Ah, w-well, I just want to learn as much as I can about my village’s founding father.”

Drayce laughed to show that he wasn’t judging him. It would be highly hypocritical of him to do so. “Haha, no no, it’s fine.” He then turned his attention toward their two new guests that sat on the other end of the table together. “What about you, Tokala, Salim?”

“Eh?” Salim appeared momentarily caught off guard by the question. “Er, dunno.”

“I left the necklace with Shashi,” Tokala began to prattle openly. “He promised to take care of it for me. Maybe Salim and I can explore around town? We haven’t really had the chance to.”

That sounded reasonable. They weren’t members of his guild, so it wasn’t like he could ask them to do something. Even if they were members, if they had other plans, they were welcomed to do whatever they want.

“That’s fine,” Drayce said absentmindedly. “Leave the investigation to us for the day then. Go out and have fun. Just be sure to be home before dark.”

“Home…” Tokala repeated slowly, his expression unreadable. A wide smile soon reappeared on his lips and he looked genuinely happy. “Ah, sure!”

Drayce simply sent Tokala a small smile before everyone fell into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed their breakfast. The food was quite delicious today. Ashton had always been a brilliant cook, but it seemed that Tokala was quite talented, too.

Ashton was a hard worker. He wondered if Tokala and Salim were willing to join his guild?

Never mind that for now. He had better get some food into him and get ready for a trek into the labyrinth.

Breakfast was quickly finished and those who were to enter the labyrinth today set off to gather their belongs and essentials. Drayce trekked back to his room to get himself dressed in his armour and adventuring clothes, as it were. His shield rested down stairs, along with his cannon. He kept them down there in case he needed to dash out into the labyrinth at a moment’s notice.

Before he left his room, he checked his pocket for an Ariadne Thread and tied it to his wrist in order to be in constant contact with it. The last thing he wanted was struggling to grab a hold of the thread to activate it while fending off a monster attack with his other hand. He certainly didn’t want to endure such a scenario against those Toxipedes. 

“Ok, everyone ready to go?” Drayce asked as he stepped into the seating room.

Blayke, Kamali, Faelen, Nashoba, and Zohar were already there. And they appeared more than ready to go.

“Our goal for the day is to simply gather materials,” Drayce stated as he grabbed his cannon and shield, slipping the leather straps over his head and upon his shoulders within reaching range. “But if you guys hear or sense anything, do let me know immediately. We’ve been lucky so far with this project. We can only hope that our luck holds out just a little bit longer.”

“You got it,” Blayke returned, speaking for everyone.

With Drayce now ready to go as well, he turned to Ashton, the ever-dedicated caretaker who wanted to see them off. “We’ll be back sometime after lunch, most likely. But definitely before dark.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ashton said with a small smile.

With that done, they six of them headed out. 

Using that neat little trick to skip straight to the second floor, the six of them soon found themselves in the opulent walls of Yggdrasil. It always surprised him how crisp and fresh the air was within the labyrinth. The scents and smells were invigorating. Not to mention the sights of the beautiful flowers and lush green foliage. 

They soon found in their usual formation. Drayce took the lead with Blayke a mere step or so behind him. Faelen with his faithful wolf by his side took the middle. While Kamali came next, and at the back came Zohar.

Drayce soon got used to hearing the footfalls of his companions. Blayke’s stern marching. Faelen’s quick footsteps in time with his beloved wolf. Kamali’s calm wandering. And Zohar’s steady pace. It was relaxing, in a way. A steady rhythm. 

And yet he was certain that he was hearing another. One attempting to match his own. And when Drayce purposely missed one of his steps, he heard a much softer one fall in his place. A soft growl from Nashoba and a light tug on Drayce’s arm from Blayke told him that he wasn’t the only one who noticed.

They were being followed.

“Drayce,” he said quietly but sternly.

Drayce nodded his head. “Yeah. Go for it.”

At soon as those words left his lips, Blayke darted off to the left, toward the sound of the mysterious footfalls. With his rapier at the ready in a purely offensive stance, he lunged toward the foliage. As he stabbed into the undergrowth, there was an immediate response. A response in the sound of a high-pitched yelp in surprise and in a flurry of leaves, someone appeared.

A young man by appearance. Blue hair, green eyes, and clothing that were a little…unusual. Dark blue pants and blazer with a white button-up shirt. 

“Wha-?” the guy spluttered as he held up a blade that was similar to the one that Caelem wielded defensively. “H-hey, put that sword away! I’m completely innocent here!”

“Why should I?” Blayke spat as he kept his rapier toward the kid, even as another silently revealed themselves from the foliage. “You’ve been following us.”

The other man, a harbinger by appearance if the dark purple leather and large scythe he carried easily over his shoulder was any indication. He had long purple hair with a peculiar blue streak that framed the left side of his face. He also had quite piercing dark pink eyes. Though, he kept his eyes downward toward the ground, even as he moved to stand next to the blue haired guy.

The guy with blue hair unexpectedly lowered his weapon and rubbed the back of his neck in a totally unguarded way. “Ah, well, it’s because…” he started before a broad smile slipped across his lips. “Heh, we’re lost as shit.”

Huh, Drayce wasn’t expecting that, honestly. Blayke didn’t seem to believe him, though.

“Shh…” Faelen whispered softly to Nashoba. The white wolf had his heckles raised and his head low to the ground. He was growling softly as he stared at the two strangers before.

“Something wrong, Fae?” Drayce asked as he checked in on the young rover.

“Nashoba isn’t fond of them,” Faelen replied simply as he crouched down next to the wolf, keeping his hand on his companion’s back in an attempt to settle and calm him.

“Oh, come on!” the guy with the blue haired whined childishly. “Really, I’m totally innocent. And lost.” He turned to the man next to him and his tone took on a…well, cooing tone. “Aren’t we, Runi~?”

The other, ah Runi (that may just be a nickname, though), didn’t immediately respond. He barely even lifted his head. “…Yes,” he finally uttered in a rather sullen voice.

Drayce took a moment to study the two. He couldn’t really see or even sense anything untoward about them. They appeared like a pair of down on your luck explorers that were just starting out, lured in by the stories of wealth and privilege of Yggdrasil. 

“I see,” Drayce said as he approached the two. “Are you part of a guild?”

“Yup,” the more chatty of the two cheerfully replied. “There’s two of us at the moment, but we’re totally a guild.”

While Drayce didn’t see much of a threat from the two, Blyake was still very suspicious. “I don’t believe that.”

That received a childish pout from the blue-haired guy. “Dude, why so suspicious?”

“For many, many reasons, I assure you,” Blayke returned swiftly as he kept his rapier toward him. “And I’m not afraid to get violent if I have to.”

“Wow, ok, cool.” That was rather sarcastic. He wasn’t all that afraid.

“Blayke, easy,” Drayce said as he placed a hand on Blayke’s back, prompting him to lower his blade. He stayed suspicious, though, and continued to glare at the two. Especially when Drayce took to the front to regard the two. “So, you two are lost, are you?”

“Heard that you can get some rare materials on this floor that get you some good money. We’re just starting out with this explorer business, you know? Not as easy as they say…” he paused for a moment as he glanced down at the ground to the side. He soon painted a broad smile on his lips once again. “Anyway, the name’s Keita, but you can call me Kei. And this is Runihura, but you can call him Runi~”

Runihura didn’t make an attempt to response. And he still wouldn’t lift his head to look at anyone.

That was rather curious.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, fellow explorers. My name is Drayce, this is Blayke, Faelen, Zohar, and Kamali.”

“Nice to meet ya,” Keita chimed happily as he took a moment to cast a gaze over everyone. He soon narrowed in on Faelen. “Especially you, Faelen~ Your hair really is quite stunning. It looks like fairy floss. I could just eat you all up.”

Faelen flushed lightly and subconsciously hid behind Drayce. Drayce, himself, felt his protective heckles raised and Nashoba uttered a low, threatening growl.

“Keep your hands where I can see them,” Drayce found himself stated in a stern manner.

Keita snorted, not remotely intimidated. “Protective, much?”

“Extremely,” Drayce replied quickly. “But especially of my little brother. He’s fifteen, just so you know.”

“Ok, cool,” Keita responded dismissively before he rested his weapon upon his shoulder and shoved his free hand into the pocket of his trousers. “Anyway, you guys look like you know where you’re going so that’s why we’ve been following you. Really. Ain’t that right, Runi?”

Runihura still made no attempt to respond. Or even react to them at all.

Keita sighed deeply and loudly. “Man, you’re just a bubbly conversationalist, aren’t you?”

Drayce shook his head in mild amusement while Faelen uttered a small giggle.

Keita immediately turned his head in Faelen’s direction and smiled widely. “Oh hey, I got a giggle. Sweet.”

Faelen flushed again and ducked further behind Drayce. He did lean around him ever so slightly so he could peer at the strange youth.

Drayce didn’t get a bad vibe from the two. They were a little odd, but who wasn’t, right? If what they said was true, they were new to the gig of exploration and where currently lost. Being lost in the labyrinth was dangerous. He couldn’t turn his back on a pair of explorers.

“Alright, you two can tag along,” Drayce said. “But don’t do anything reckless, ok?”

“Alright, cool!” Keita grinned again. “We’ll be good.”

Well, they would have to wait to see.

They fell into a semi-awkward silence as Drayce reinstated their journey. He took his place at the lead as the others trailed together behind him. Blayke stayed closer to Faelen, though, as did Nashoba. Neither of the very protective two liked Keita’s interest and proximity to the sweet rover.

Drayce, himself, kept a closer eye on Faelen. But that was just the leader in him. He was protective of everyone. Especially in regards to someone he didn’t know all that well, yet.

“Hey, you have something in your hair,” Keita suddenly announced.

Drayce looked over his shoulder just in time to watch as Keita pulled a green leaf from Faelen’s hair, causing the rover to look rather uncomfortable. “Ah…?”

Blayke immediately slapped Keita’s hand away. “Brat, weren’t you told to keep those god damn hands to yourself?”

“Come on, I’m not doing anything,” Keita immediately protested. “Besides his hair looks like cotton candy~”

Faelen tilted his head to the side. “What’s cotton candy?”

Keita released an overly dramatic gasp and looked absolutely scandalised. “You’ve never had cotton candy?! That’s an outrage!”

Blayke bristled wildly. “God damn it, brat, shut up!”

“Boo, stop being such a stick in the mud!”

“If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’ll be burying you up to your neck in mud!”

The kid was loud and carefree, it seemed. He definitely rubbed Blayke the wrong way!

Yet, there was…something not quite authentic about the Keita. Runihura was rather suspicious himself. He wouldn’t look at anyone. He would just look down at the ground in front of him, refusing to make eye-contact.

Maybe he was just a bit awkward. Not everyone was made for prolonged social interaction.

Drayce shook his head to clear it. It was best for him to concentrate on trekking through the labyrinth for the time being. He needed to keep an eye out for any gathering points. From what Zohar told him, they were looking for something that was far different than the mining spots that were located on the first floor.

Blayke and Keita continued to bicker as they travelled through the halls.

As they entered into an open area, Drayce’s gaze was drawn to the darken corner. There were more flowers located in that area. Flowers and plants that he hadn’t seen previously. He was able to lead the group over in order to give a closer inspection, but a hand touching his arm pulled him to a stop.

“Drayce?”

Upon hearing Kamali’s voice, Drayce immediately turned his attention to him. “Hm?”

Kamali leaned forward and cupped his hand around his mouth. So Drayce leaned forward with his head to the side to allow the warlock to talk into his ear. “I sense mana nearby. It’s faint, but it’s near that grove over there, I believe.”

He had indicated to the flowery corner that had gained Drayce’s attention.

“Ok,” Drayce said in response. “You do the searching then, ok?”

Kamali leaned back and gave him a small smile. “Of course.”

The others of the party seemed to be distracted by Keita’s antics with Blayke, so Drayce just silently led everyone to the possible gathering point. Kamali dutifully stepped forward and crouched down to inspect the ground and vegetation. And Drayce took on a protective stance to ensure that a monster wouldn’t attempt to ambush them.

After a few seconds, Kamali unexpectedly uttered a soft noise of surprise. Drayce immediately turned to look at him and found the warlock already up on his face. He held something tightly in his enclosed hands.

Before Drayce could ask if he found something interesting, Kamali huddled close to him and unfurled his hands to reveal a small silver token. In the shape of a coin. But it wasn’t the fact that it was silver, nor in the shape of a coin that immediately caught his attention. Within the very centre of the coin was an engraving. Of a lotus.

“This is…?”

“It’s a token of some kind.” Kamali kept his voice low so not to arouse suspicion. “And the pattern is similar to that of the one of the music box.”

“Is this what we need to activate the map?” Drayce asked quickly.

Kamali gave a small smile. “Possibly.”

What a find!

They were suddenly interrupted by none other than Keita who physically pushed his way between the two of them. “What you guys whispering about? Find something rare?” his gaze soon fell onto the silver token in Kamali’s hands. The kid moved faster than Kamali could react. “Wow, that IS a rare one. Can I have it?”

Blayke grabbed Keita by the shoulder and roughly pulled him back. “Are you serious? We found it,” he snapped.

“You won’t give it to me?” Keita pouted. A grin suddenly slipped across his lips and he took a step back.

And before anyone could react, he grabbed his blade in both hands, one grasping the handle, the other the sheath. He then lifted the blade up and pulled the blade halfway out of the sheath. He slipped around behind Faelen, dropped the blade over his head, and directed the sharpen edge toward Faelen’s throat. 

“What about now?” Keita smirked.

Drayce felt his heart leap into his throat. “What? Fae!”

“D-Drayce…” Faelen stuttered.

Keita shifted to pull Faelen closer toward him, ensuring that he was a shield between them. Runihura ducked behind Keita, but did little else.

Drayce instinctively reached for his weapon, while Blayke did the same. Kamali clutched the silver token tightly in one hand while the other reached out to snare Nashoba’s collar, keeping the wolf from lunging.

“W-why?” Faelen murmured, his voice soft and shaky. And seemingly on the verge of tearing up.

“Hey, any excuse to get closer to you, right?” Keita returned with a sickly flirtatious smile. He even went as far as to nuzzle his cheek against the top of Faelen’s head. “Your hair really is as soft as it looks.”

Upon hearing Faelen whimper, Drayce found himself levelling his gun directly at Keita. Aiming for right between the eyes.

“Ok, you’ve got two seconds to release him before I put a bullet in your neck,” Drayce hissed. He was inwardly surprised by the anger in his voice, yet not so much. That kid tricked him and was using Faelen as a hostage. He had every right to be angry.

“How violent,” Keita cooed mockingly as he brought his blade a few millimetres closer to Faelen’s neck. “Just hand over the token and we’ll leave.”

He couldn’t trust his word, but he was in no state to negotiate either.

“Fine.”

Keita appeared honestly surprised for a short second. “That was quick.” He soon shrugged before he made a motion with his head. “Runi.”

Drayce wasn’t going to risk Kamali being pulled into a hostage situation, too. So he took the token from him and held it out in an outstretched hand himself. Runihura silently stepped out from behind Keita and hurried over toward Drayce. Oddly enough, the harbinger still wouldn’t lift his gaze toward him. Even as he snatched the token from his hand and darted back quickly.

“The real thing?” Keita asked as he kept Faelen in front of him.

“Yes,” Runihura answered simply.

“Good,” Keita muttered before he smiled broadly and insincerely. “See, no harm done. We’ll catch you guys later. And thanks for finding the token for us!”

Keita thankfully dropped his arms from around Faelen and leapt back. Faelen stumbled forward slightly and clutched at his throat. Drayce dropped his hold on his cannon, instead reaching out to take Faelen into his protective arms. He held him close to his chest as Blayke and Zohar stepped forward. Nashoba also leapt forward, ready to tear a hole or two in Keita.

But the brat managed to stay out of range. And infuriatingly, he continued to smile.

“Later, precious!” he cooed, likely directed toward Faelen, before he disappeared into the foliage of the labyrinth. Runihura close behind him.

With the others of their party making a semi-circle around them, Drayce took a step back and crouched down in front of Faelen. He kept one of his on his shoulders as he carefully inspected him for any injuries with the other. He immediately searched his throat first. 

“Are you all right? Let me look at you. Did he hurt you? Where did he touch you?”

Thankfully, there didn’t appeared to be any injuries. Nothing to his throat. No blood. No cuts.

“I’m…fine,” Faelen replied shakily.

A strong prang of guilt struck Drayce right in the chest. “Fae…I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault!” Faelen immediately insisted. “You couldn’t have known!”

There was some logic to that, but Drayce’s guilt and concern overrode all of that. He was, however, thankful that the young rover hadn’t been physically harmed. So grateful in fact that he pulled Faelen into a tight hug, which was immediately returned. 

Nashoba snuggled up to Faelen, nudging his hand with his nose as Kamali rubbed a comforting hand up and down his back. Drayce felt a light tingling sensation race up his spine. And as he lifted his gaze, he immediately realised that Zohar had summoned Theodore. Likely as a precautionary measure.

The likelihood of those two returning was slim. But better safe than sorry.

Blayke uttered a frustrated sight. “I might be making a wild assumption here, but those two are probably bandits.”

Drayce pulled away from his hug with Faelen, but kept him close to his side. “Yeah.”

“They knew of that token. Before we did,” Zohar murmured as he and a surprisingly serious Theodore kept a narrow and suspicious gaze at their surroundings. “Perhaps there are others?”

That was a strong possibility. 

“Yeah,” Drayce sighed as he scooped up his cannon and holstered it to his side. “I think we know who’s been tailing us this whole time.”

Blayke kicked at the ground, utterly frustrated. “Tch. I knew it wouldn’t be long before those bandits got involved.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We’re going to have to tell Ramus about this.”

Drayce couldn’t prevent himself from wincing. “You’re right.” He sighed aloud as he idly ran his fingers through Faelen’s hair. “Let’s…head home for now. Those tokens need to be researched, as well.”

And more importantly, he wanted to get Faelen and his guildmates somewhere safe. He didn’t care what those bandits did to him, but they weren’t allowed to lay a finger on any of his guildmates!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late night update, yay. A shorter chapter compared to previous ones. I mean, it’s ten pages. My attempt to keep chapters short didn’t last very long :’D Anyway, hope you enjoy reading~

It was with a sense of defeat that Drayce led his party back to the Crescentia. He kept Faelen close to his side, however, to remind himself that things could have gotten a lot worse. He held no regrets about handing over that token. It was an easy exchange.

No treasure was worth someone’s life or safety.

He still felt a sense of guilt, though. He knew he really shouldn’t. How was he to know that those two were bandits? They didn’t look or act like the bandits they had encountered before. Which was likely the reason why they had been sent to follow them.

There was no doubt in Drayce’s mind that Keane was involved.

As they stepped into the foyer of their guildhouse, and before Drayce could announce their return, they were greeted by the sound of hurried footsteps from upstairs. For a fraction of a moment Drayce felt a sense of panic rise in his chest. But that was soon pushed aside when Caelem suddenly appeared.

And he appeared quite excited as he all but bounded down the stairs. "There you are!"

Drayce was honestly startled by their unconventional welcome. Yet, he was hopeful, too. "Hm? Cal? Something happened?"

Caelem nodded his head as he eagerly explained, "The map seemed to have activated for a moment before it faded out again. It pointed to an area a few steps away from a symbol that looked like a set of stairs."

It took Drayce a few seconds for the information to filter in. "It did?" he asked before a thought occurred to him and he quickly pulled out the partial map of the second floor. He quickly located the area approximately where they had discovered that lotus engraved token. And he showed the spot to Caelem.

"Wait, hang on, look at this map, Cal. Was it about here on the parchment?"

Caelem immediately nodded his head. " Y-yes, that’s right!"

So that piece of parchment was a map.

Kamali glanced at the map before he turned his eyes toward Drayce questioningly. "Did that token…?" he murmured.

Caelem tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Token?"

Drayce rolled up the map and quickly placed into the pocket of his coat. He then shrugged off his armour. "Let’s head into the library."

The others followed suit, choosing the comfort of removing their armour. It was also an indication to them that they weren't to return to the labyrinth again that day. Those bandits may or may not be there, but it didn't matter right now. They may have lost that mysterious silver token, but they weren't out of the game yet.

Making their way to the library, Drayce decided to go first with his discoveries from the labyrinth. Caelem had given him the quick rundown of what had occurred anyway, and what Drayce had discovered would help shed some light on what had happened in the library.

As Drayce told the rest of his guild what happened, he could sense some of his guilt rising from the pit of his stomach. He also sensed some guilt from Faelen, which was unjustified. While the bristle of protectiveness from Ashton was utterly justified.

"Bandits, huh?" Ashton murmured.

He wasn't the only one outwardly bristling, though.

"What? They hurt Faelen?" Caelem practically hissed as his tail physically bristled before concern made its way to his features. He immediately turned to give Faelen a quick once over with his gaze. No doubt searching for any possible injuries.

Faelen flushed lightly at the worry and genuine protectiveness directed at him. "He didn’t hurt me. Just…scared me."

Caelem wasn't entirely convinced, however. "But that’s the same thing, isn’t it?"

"It is in my books," Drayce immediately responded.

Upon seeing that Faelen was indeed unharmed, and was a tad flustered at the attention, Shashi folded an arm across his chest as he took on a musing pose. "So, you found a small silver token, like that of a coin, with an engraving of a lotus?" he asked, getting back to the mystery at hand.

"That’s right," Drayce replied. "And if I am to assume anything, there’s more. And those bandits are after it, too."

Shashi tapped his cheek a few times before a semi dark expression appeared on his face. "If so, then they are likely after the map as well."

That was definitely a high possibility. There was also a possibility that those bandits don't know they have it. Though, he couldn't safely rule out that they did. He would have to be careful not to talk about outside of the Crescentia.

"You said that it activated for a second. Has that happened before?" Drayce asked.

Shashi dropped his arms limply to his sides and shook his head. "No. What happened today was the first time."

Ashton roughly folded his arms across his chest as he restlessly shifted from foot to the other. "So, once again making assumptions here, those bandits have only one token. The one you found."

"More likely than not," Drayce responded simply.

"It appears as if these tokens are needed to activate the map," Zohar commented. "Further still, perhaps the map needed to be discovered before the tokens were to be active."

Drayce took a second to let that mull around in his head. "Sounds reasonable. Let’s assume that there are at least four of them. One for each corner."

Shashi immediately agreed to that notion. "That seems plausible from what I have seen of the map. Fortunately, if they do find another we will know."

Not the most favourable of circumstances, but it would have to do.

"That’s something," Drayce sighed.

Kamali turned to Drayce and gave a softly concerned look. "What would you like to do now?"

Drayce didn't need to think too hard on the response. "Now? I’d like everyone to stay within the Crescentia. Especially you, Faelen."

"Ok," Faelen returned softly, giving the slight indication that he was nervous in returning to the labyrinth.

“I’ll have Theodore inspect the boundaries,” Zohar offered as an extra protective measure.

Drayce gave Zohar a grateful smile. “Please, do. Everyone else, let’s relax for the rest of the day.”

He got some thinking to do, honestly. About how he was going to deal with those bandits and what it was exactly they were hoping to achieve. But more importantly, how he was going to ensure the safety of his guildmates. That was his number one priority. 

Everyone began to file out of the library in order to remove their explorer garbs and get comfortable, and more likely than not, check the premises. As Drayce himself moved to follow, Ashton grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him aside to where he and Shashi stood. He waited until everyone else was out of hearing range before he turned to regard Drayce.

“Drayce. Shashi and I would like to have a couple of words with you in private,” he said quickly, with his voice low. “Let’s speak in your office.”

Ashton had said all that in a hushed tone, being mindful not to draw the attention or curiosity of the others. That was both curious and worrying. That could mean one of two things; they had something unsettling to inform him of. Or something important they didn't want the rest of the guild to know. 

“Sure,” Drayce replied simply.

The three of them soon left the library and headed to the office that appeared to be the official room to discuss sensitive matters with him. Of course, that made total sense. And Drayce couldn’t help but wonder briefly if his grandpa used his office for the same reason and what kind of stories were discussed in that very room.

“Is there something wrong?” Drayce asked the moment the three of them entered his office and securely closed the door behind them.

“I spoke with Zohar last night and have been doing some research on this other lotus blade,” Shashi replied in his usual straight forward manner. “And from what I have discovered, what Zohar has informed me is accurate.”

So, there is another lotus blade?

"It also appears that the Turquoise Lotus Father did indeed have a brother," Shashi continued. "And he was the one that wielded this other blade."

Drayce furrowed his brow in worry. "Really? So, he fought alongside the Despot, too?"

Shashi nodded his head as he reached into one of his pockets within his coat and pulled out a small but often used notebook. "Yes, but from what we have discovered, it wasn’t willingly. The blade is said to possess whoever tries to wield it. Which is what we believed to have happened to the brother."

Drayce sat on the edge of his desk and loosely folded his arms across his chest. "So, the Turquoise Lotus Father became a masurao to save him?"

"That’s what we believe, yes," Ashton answered.

"The Turquoise Lotus Father was named as such due to his caring nature," Shashi added as he flipped through his notebook. "He had no intention of being a warrior, until the war happened and his younger brother was enslaved. At this point, this is all we know."

Still, that was a lot of information discovered in just a couple of days!

"We’ve told Caelem of the Turquoise Lotus Father, but not of the brother as of yet," Ashton stated, explaining the, well, secrecy of their conversation.

Totally made sense, though. The information of another far more dangerous blade being out there somewhere would be alarming to anyone. They also needed to make sure that the map they had was leading to the Shining Lotus rather than that darker blade.

He couldn't help but briefly wonder if those bandits new of the legends. And of the lotuses blades.

"Yeah, that seems the best thing to do for now.," Drayce commented idly. "Just until we can find more information."

Ashton nodded his head. "We could discover more if we knew the Blade Brothers’ actual names." He sounded a little exasperated when he said that.

Names would indeed be helpful. However...

"Though, it appears that this Turquoise Lotus Father is better known for that name specifically."

Ashton had to agree to that. "Probably true. In any case, we'll keep looking. That's the safest thing to do now."

Yeah, safest. They should be safe within the walls of the Crescentia. 

After a few utterances of taking it easy, Ashton and Shashi left the room. And left Drayce to his thoughts. Pushing away from the desk, Drayce instead walked around it to take a seat upon the chair. He leaned back into it as he swivelled around to gaze idly out the window.

So...the Turquoise Lotus Father had a brother. A younger sibling perhaps. Or even a twin.

As that thought entered his mind, a sharp pain appeared simultaneously in his head and from his temple. It was a sudden and sharp pain that prompted a small yelp of pain and for him to clutch his head.

Again? Why did the word brother cause him such pain? And why was it always followed by that empty feeling of lost? As if he was missing something. Or rather, someone.

Drayce gritted his teeth as he endured the pain and discomfort. It thankfully subsided soon after and he was left with a very mild headache. It wasn't exactly a headache. Just a low ache.

He soon found a distraction when the door to the office opened and Blayke stepped inside. He walked over to the desk and stood before him. However, a furrow appeared upon his brow as Drayce swivelled the chair to face him.

"You ok?" he asked simply as he gave him a suspicious and inspecting look.

Drayce managed to plaster a reassuring smile upon his face and nodded. "Yeah, just a small headache from using the old grey matter. What's up?"

Blayke didn't look one hundred percent convinced, which wasn’t much of a surprise. It wasn’t easy to convince at the best of times. He soon folded his arms across his chest however, indicating that he was willing to drop the subject this time. But Drayce had better not test him again.

Drayce knew that look well! 

"I think we need to speak with Ramus about this," he stated.

Drayce sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, I think so, too. He might be able to help us out like last time. If Turquoise Lotus Father fought within the Legendary War, there might be something about him in the council’s archives. Hopefully, at least."

Blayke shrugged. "Only one way to find out. I also want him to know about those bandits. That’s honestly my first concern." His expression then went dark. A purely protective kind of darkness. Something that Drayce had only seen Blayke and Ashton do.

Seeing the two of them together with that same expression was rather frightening! 

"I knew that brat rubbed me the wrong way for a reason…" Blayke muttered under his breath.

Drayce uttered a small sigh. He was obviously talking about Keita. The kid tricked them all.

But he just had to give his best friend a smile in return. Those bandits may have gotten the drop on them once by using their willingness to help another in trouble to their advantage, but it would not happen again.

Not if Blayke had something to say about it!

"Anyway, I'm going to pace the boundaries of the property like some caged tiger," Blayke stated as he turned on his heel and headed for the door. "We'll visit Ramus tomorrow, yeah?"

"Sounds good," Drayce returned. "And you be careful. Especially if you use Blazing Link. We can't afford to have the back garden ablaze."

Blayke snorted in response, but made no attempt to dispute it. And, needless to say, if he happened to stumble across a bandit, to won't be happy. 

That did cause Drayce some worry, though he could do little to stop Blayke's restless pacing. It was understandable, really. He was feeling angry and frustrated and needed an outlet. The best thing Drayce could was to check in on him occasionally.

Speaking of checking in on someone, he had better see how Faelen was doing. What happened today was unnerving. And was sure to leave the rover feeling rattled.

Setting aside his research for the time being, Drayce pushed back his chair and took to his feet. Faelen had headed to his room after they all departed from the library and was likely still there. Nashoba was likely to be with him, too. Hopefully. Blayke would have taken the white wolf with him on his pacing, but it was obvious that he didn’t want to keep him away from Faelen.

As Drayce headed to the second floor, the sound of the front door opening and someone cheerfully announcing their arrival caused him to travel halfway down the second set of stairs. In the foyer was Tokala and Salim. Back from their wanderings around the city.

“Oh, good, you guys are back,” Drayce greeted, inwardly relieved that they hadn’t encountered any trouble during their outing. 

“How was your exploration of Iorys?” Kamali asked politely as he approached them in the foyer.

Tokala smiled brightly. “It’s so much bigger than I thought! And the market district had so much interesting stuff!”

“Sounds like you had fun,” Drayce said with a smile. “That’s good.”

It was best that they didn’t tell the two about what had occurred in the labyrinth that day just yet. Maybe after dinner. Just so they’d, too, be cautious about any possibly (and likely) future meetings with those bandits.

Ashton appeared from the back of the guildhouse. It was more than highly likely that he had been inspecting the boundaries, too. Or just inspecting the windows and doors. 

Upon seeing that their guests had returned, Ashton placed a smile to his lips and motioned toward Tokala. “Good, just in time to help me with dinner.”

“Got it!” Tokala answered readily and once again cheerfully before he hurried to follow Ashton to the kitchen.

“Hey, Salim, why not do some fishing? We’ll need that for dinner tonight,” Drayce suggested. Both wanting the pugilist to be doing something as he knew his need to keep moving. And for him to be outside should Blayke need a hand or two.

Salim seemed grateful for the suggest. “Yeah, alright. Anything for food.”

It was honestly good to see that they were settling in well within the Crescentia.

With everyone back under the same roof, Drayce felt a sense of relief wash over him. He turned on his heel and headed back up the stairs and made a beeline to Faelen’s room. The door wasn’t closed the entirely way, indicating that the young therian inside wanted some quiet time to himself, but did not want to be locked away from the rest of his guildmates entirely.

“Fae?” Drayce called out before he slowly pushed opened the door. 

Faelen at on the end of his bed with Nashoba’s head resting on his lap. It appeared that he had been stroking the wolf’s fur, likely to help calm himself. Or out of absentmindedness as he mused about the day’s events.

“Are you all right?” Drayce asked as he stepped into the room, allowing the door to remain ajar behind him.

Faelen perked his head up at the sound of his voice and immediately turned toward him. “Um, yeah. I’m ok.”

Drayce sat down on the bed next to him. “You sure?”

Faelen’s flatten slightly against his head and he returned to running his fingers through Nashoba’s fur. “I’m sorry about the token,” he said, guilt in his voice as he turned his eyes toward his wolf companion.

“Don’t be silly,” Drayce immediately returned. “It’s that bandit’s fault.”

“But that token was useful, right?” Faelen asked softly as he rubbed Nashoba’s ear.

“Perhaps,” Drayce answered honestly. “We don’t know for sure. But, hey, there’s likely other tokens out there, too. And we have the map.”

Faelen nodded his head idly. But Drayce could still see and feel his guilt. Which was unfair. Faelen shouldn’t feel guilt for something that wasn’t his fault. “You gave it up pretty quick.”

“Of course, I did.” Drayce slipped an arm around Faelen’s shoulders and pulled him toward him so that he leaned up against him, his head on his shoulder. “You’re far more precious than any treasure.”

Faelen stilled for a moment before he rested against him fully and comfortably. “...That makes me happy,” he whispered to himself. He then tilted his head back to look up at him. “Drayce?”

“Hm?”

“That also wasn’t your fault, you know?” Faelen said firmly as he looked into his eyes.

That startled Drayce for a moment. Though, guilt was probably coming off of him in waves. He was the guild leader, after all. It was his job, his purpose to keep others safe. Though, if he asked anyone if what happened was his fault, they would all tell him that it wasn’t. Still...

Faelen suddenly frowned as he turned to look upon Nashoba once more. “Keita…didn’t seem that bad at the start. He was kinda funny.”

Yeah, there wasn’t anything really to indicate that the kid was a bandit. Still, there was something about him that made Drayce believe that he wasn’t a hundred percent truthful in his actions or words.

Blayke, on the other hand, was downright suspicious of him.

That, strangely enough, brought a small smile to Drayce’s lips. “…Blayke didn’t like him.” And Nashoba made a soft whining sound, as if agreeing with him.

Faelen gave a soft half chuckle. “Blayke was kinda funny, too.”

“Hm.” Drayce made a noise of agreement as he ruffled Faelen’s hair. He was glad that he was feeling better. “He’s wonderfully snappy. You should see him when he’s tired and annoyed.”

Faelen giggled before he fell into a contemplative silence. “…I don’t think he would have hurt me.”

Maybe so, but there was still a possibility that he would have. “I wasn’t going to chance it.”

Faelen nodded his head. “Drayce?”

“Hm?”

Faelen suddenly pivoted in his spot and hugged him around the waist, burying his head into his chest. “You really are like a brother to me, you know?” he murmured against the fabric of his shirt. “I’m glad I met you.”

Drayce immediately wrapped his arms around the younger rover and rested his chin atop his head. “You’re like a brother to me, too.”

And that meant he wasn’t going to allow anyone to hurt his guildmates. He didn’t care what happened to him personally. But no one was allowed to threaten or attempt to harm anyone from his guild. 

Ever.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the pain (which turned to looniness thanks to the pain killers) I’ve been in, I’ve managed to get this chapter done. I’m looking forward to future chapters as they’re going to be a lot fun to write. Maybe not for Drayce, but definitely for me :3c Anyway, hope you enjoy reading~

The crowds outside the Council Building seemed larger than usual. It was likely due to more guilds having been formed in hopes to venture inside the labyrinth for their own personal purposes. Seeing all the different guilds and explorers mingling about abruptly reminded Drayce of his mission of locating the stairs to the next floor.

He did feel a light prang of guilt of not being able to complete that personal mission from Ramus. But he reminded himself that with all those new explorers now venturing into the labyrinth, maybe one of them would be able to discover a way to the stairs themselves.

Besides, he had other plans that needed his attention more.

“Explaining this to Ramus is going to take some time,” Blayke muttered as he and Drayce joined the long line of guilds wishing to speak with Ramus.

Drayce nodded his head. “It might be somewhat confusing at the moment, but its best that we be honest.”

They move a few steps up in the line and Blayke ran a hand through his hair. “He might increase guard presence in the labyrinth.”

“I’m a little hesitant about that,” Drayce winced as he remembered what had occurred yesterday. He didn’t want something like that to happen to a hapless guard, too. Especially not to someone like Virgil. “It might give the bandits more leverage.”

Blayke cast a suspicious glance at their surroundings. “Good point.”

They fell into silence as they slowly made their way to the front of the line. As they grew closer, Drayce could see that Ramus was ever dutiful and royally polite as he dealt with guild after guild.

His smile when his gaze landed on him and Drayce, however, was sincere. “Oh, welcome. Have you found the way to the third floor already?” he greeted.

“Ah, well, we’ve kinda hit another snag,” Drayce returned, purposely trying to be as vague as possible.

Immediately, an expression that was a mixture of curiosity and concern appeared on Ramus’ face. “I…see. Let’s speak in my office then.”

The path to Ramus’ office was steadily becoming a familiar one. And once again, they took that path in silence, waiting until they got into the security of the room before they started speaking.

Ramus opened the door to his office and motioned for Drayce and Blayke to step in before him. He then closed the door with the three of them inside. “Is there something else?” he asked as he walked over to his desk.

“There is, actually,” Drayce replied and sat down in one of the chairs pulled toward Ramus’ desk.

He then went on to tell Ramus everything that he knew, and what had happened. Starting with Caelem wishing to learn more of his village’s founder. From the surprise discovery of the music box containing a small chest. To unexpectedly finding the one with the key to said chest. And finally, about the tokens and the bandits who were also collecting them.

He, however, decided not to mention the short hostage situation that occurred yesterday. Faelen wouldn’t want Ramus to know, and Drayce himself didn’t want to worry him either.

Ramus listened to what he said quietly, nodding his head on occasion. His face soon creased into a puzzled expression and he briefly glanced off to the side. “Turquoise Lotus Father?”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in question. “Have you heard of him?”

Ramus maintained his contemplative look for a little while longer. “I…am uncertain. I do recall my ancestor, the Legendary Dragoon as he is referred to, did indeed have trusted advisors and generals to aid him during the war. Nine of them, if I recall. I may be able to access the royal achieves for information….” He trailed off in thought. 

It would help them greatly if Ramus was able to find some information from the royal archives. They had discovered their own information thanks to the library back at the Crescentia, but they didn’t have access to the royal documents. There could potentially be something in there they needed.

If nothing else, offer Caelem some more information about his village’s founding father.

Ramus shook his head in an attempt to pull him from his musings and turned to give Drayce and Blayke his full attention. “Until then, you said that there are two blades. Do you believe that is what these bandits are after? For what reason, do you suppose?”

“Money at this point,” Blayke answered roughly as he folded his arms across his chest.

A slight frown tugged at Ramus’ lips and he gave a slow nod of his head. “Yes, that is likely.”

“I don’t understand the mind of a bandit, so I can’t even begin to speculate,” Drayce started. “What we do know is that they’re after one of the lotus blades. And they have a token already, so they’re one step ahead of us.”

“But you have the map,” Ramus pointed out. “That will be critical.”

Yes. And he was worried about what lengths they’d go to just to get their hands on it.

“What will you do now?” Ramus asked him.

Drayce had been considering that question for a while. There was little else he could do, unfortunately. “Return to the labyrinth. We speculate that the other tokens are located somewhere on the second floor. Why they were scattered there, why the map was hidden there, can’t be a mere coincidence.”

Blayke nodded his head, his lips pulled into a tight frown. “Sorry, the hunt for the stairs will have to wait.”

“Yes, of course,” Ramus replied with understanding in his tone. His face soon creased into a look of utter concern, however. “Be careful. I do not trust these bandits.”

“No, neither do we,” Blayke muttered, his expression turning dark.

Drayce offered Ramus a hopefully reassuring smile as he pushed himself to his feet. He noticed the curiosity in Ramus’ gaze in reaction to Blayke’s muttering. So, he decided that it would be best for them to take their leave. They had things that they needed to do, as did Ramus himself. 

“It’ll be fine,” Drayce comforted. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll return with more information for you.”

“Yes, please do,” Ramus returned. “And please, if it’s extremely important, don’t waste time with the line. Come to me directly.”

Oh, a few explorers wouldn’t like that. But it made sense.

“Of course.”

They uttered a few farewells to the prince, who reiterated that they both take great caution on their new venture, before Drayce and Blayke left the office. They hurried through the Council Building, past the throngs of explorers, and out into the courtyard. Carriages came and went from there, and it didn’t take them very long at all to catch a carriage for them to take.

They had the fortune to snare the same driver that delivered them to the Council Building, so Drayce didn’t need to explain where they wanted to go. With a smile and a nod, Drayce and Blayke climbed into the carriage and the driver took the reins.

“So back to the labyrinth we go?” Blayke questioned.

Drayce leaned back into his seat. “Yeah. It’s our best lead. We need to find those tokens before the bandits do. They are definitely connected to the map. Even if we get just two of them, we should get some idea of what is hidden on that parchment.”

Blayke leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “While I’m reluctant to let Faelen back in the labyrinth after what happened, Nashoba would be very useful.”

“You’re right,” Drayce murmured as he rubbed the back of his neck to ease out a slight ache. “Maybe we can talk him into letting us borrow him for this trek. I don’t want him near those bandits again, either.”

“Caelem, also.”

Drayce managed to hide a wince. “Yeah. I suggest we take Zohar with us, though. Theo and his wraiths might prove useful as well.”

Blayke nodded his head sharply. “Fiorello, too, just so he can poison the bastards.”

Drayce couldn’t prevent a chuckle from escaping his lips at that.

… … … … … 

Faelen stood in the doorway to Drayce’s room as Drayce readied himself for a journey into the labyrinth once more. Drayce could feel his gaze on him, and his worry for him. It wasn’t until Drayce slipped on his armoured coat that Faelen finally spoke up.

“You’re heading into the labyrinth now?”

Drayce adjusted his jacket to fit securely upon his shoulders. “Yeah, just for a few hours.”

Faelen took a step into his room and wrung his hands nervously in front of him. “What will you do if you encounter those…bandits again?”

Drayce honestly wasn’t sure. He was still quite angry that one of them had the gall to take Faelen hostage like that. “Probably take a shot at them.”

“Drayce…” A small smile tugged at Faelen’s lips and he slipped his arms behind himself playfully. “You wouldn’t do that.”

“Hey, that asshat scared my little brother,” Drayce said as he reached out to ruffle Faelen’s hair between his ears. “No one is allowed to do that.”

His words and actions brought a true smile to Faelen’s lips. He looked calmer, too. “Heh, ok.” That calm soon dissipated into a look of unease, however. “Just…be careful, ok?”

“We’ll be ok,” Drayce both comforted and promised. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back for nightfall. Just stay inside the Crescentia for now.”

He gave Faelen’s hair one last quick ruffle before he walked out of his room. The young rover followed him as he walked down to the foyer where his gun and shield rested against a wall near the front doors.

With his shield secured to his back and his cannon holstered to his side, Drayce gave a moment to give Faelen a few words of reassurance. Then, he took the lead once more and led the way to the labyrinth.

With the help of the crystal that allowed them to bypass the first floor entirely and into the halls of the second, they feel into a cautious silence. With a party consisting of Drayce at the very front, Blayke right behind him with Kamali and Fiorello in the middle, and Zohar once more at the back, they kept in tight formation. Zohar had already summoned Theodore to his side, allowing for another set of eyes to keep watch.

As they moved through the naturally formed pathways, Drayce half expected one of those bandits to appear around every corner. The other half of him reasoned that those bandits couldn’t be that cocky to return to the labyrinth so quickly after taking one of Drayce’s guildmates hostage.

But as they entered a small clearing, Drayce promptly realised that at least one of those bandits were indeed that cocky.

Upon a branch of a tree within the lush greenery stood a familiar figure of a teen clad in a blue uniform. He faced in their direction, obviously had been expecting them. How long he had been waiting, though, was anyone’s guess.

“Well, what do we have here?” Keita smirked as he rested his shoulder against the tree trunk and folded his arms across his chest in a casual but mocking manner. “So, you guys are back in the labyrinth. Even after what happened yesterday? You’ve got guts.”

Drayce whirled into a defensive stance, raised his cannon with a single hand and released a shot toward the smirking teen. He purposely missed, however. As much as the kid irritated him that he dared to take Faelen hostage and frighten him, Drayce would never actually shoot someone. 

…Well, he hoped that he never needed to shoot anyone.

He was a fairly good aim with his cannon thanks to the practice he had with his grandpa. His aim hit the branch that Keita stood upon, sending a barrage of small splinters into the air.

The loud crack of the gunshot echoed through the area, causing birds in the branches of the trees around to suddenly take flight in a hasty and frightened manner. Keita instinctively winced at the sound and crouched down upon the branch he stood upon, reacting far too late in response to the gunshot. 

“H-hey!” he practically squawked in protest. “Watch what you’re doing with that thing! You could seriously hurt someone!”

Drayce lowered his weapon and idly ejected the empty cartridge. “That was just a warning shot. I may not shoot you, but I will aim for the branch you’re standing on.”

“Eh?” Keita uttered just before a loud crack was heard. The crack of wood breaking. He immediately snapped his head down to look at the branch he stood upon. “Shit!”

Keita didn’t have time to react when the branch broke under his weight and sent him tumbling to the ground. His fall was broken by the thick shrubbery that grew at the base of the tree. He fell pretty hard, though. And rather unsophisticatedly. 

Leaves and twigs rained down around Keita as the teen struggled against the thick shrubbery and pushed himself up into a sitting position. “That wasn’t very nice,” he grumbled as he began to pull at the leaves and twigs from his hair. “I take it you’re still a tad cranky about what happened.”

Drayce sighed and lowered his gun to his side. “Cranky isn’t the word I would use.”

Keita struggled to his feet, idly brushing off more leaves and twigs from his clothing. “Hey now, don’t go getting all serious on us. We were just following orders.”

Drayce had honestly thought at much. Still did little to lessen his annoyance and caution. “Who? Keane’s?”

“Who else?” Keita snorted dismissively. 

Again, he had figured that. Though, Drayce may just be reading into things, but there was a sense of…agitation, even unease in Keita’s response.

Blayke, however, didn’t seem to notice. If he did, he didn’t care. Instead, he idly trailed a fingertip around the hilt of his blade. “Let me guess; you’re waiting for us to discover another token so you can steal if from us? You’re such a backseat treasure hunter.”

Keita cockily rested his hands on his hips and sent Blayke a playful grin. “Why put in the effort when someone else is willing to do the work for you?”

“Coward.”

“No need for name calling~”

Blayke’s eyes suddenly narrowed and his hand around the handle of his rapier. “Your friend better step out of the shadows. He doesn’t want to get stabbed, does he?”

The reaper, Runihura, promptly stepped out from behind the tree that Keita fell out of. Once more, his expression was impassive, empty in a way as he kept his gaze fully onto the ground before his feet.

He was completely different to that of his extroverted companion.

“Hm,” Fiorello hummed dismissively as he took a moment to regard the two bandits before them. “Well, at least these two know how to dress properly.”

“Their manners are just as lacking, however,” Kamali was surprisingly the one to comment as he kept a firm gaze on Keita specifically.

Hm, even Kamali was angry at the two before them. Especially at Keita.

“From what I hear, indeed,” Fiorello added lightly, revealing that he held no concern for the two.

Keita idly scratched his ear with his pinkie finger, once again appearing dismissive. “Say something, Shortie?”

Fiorello’s expression immediately darkened. The atmosphere around them even felt colder, darker in a way. Especially when the botanist uttered a low, menacing laugh. “Never mind poisoning him. I will destroy his kneecaps.”

…Ouch, that sounded painful.

Drayce felt someone familiar move up behind him and he felt a hand press against the small of his back. While he was reluctant to take his eyes off those two dirty bandits, he knew that Blayke was keeping a sharp eye on them. So, he turned his head to the side as Zohar leaned forward to whisper something to him.

“There’s a source of mana nearby,” he explained quickly. “Behind those bandits.”

Drayce’s brow furrowed slightly and his gaze flickered back over to the two. He nodded his head as Zohar stood back. He kept a hand on the small of his back, though. Likely as a form of comfort or reassurance.

They needed to be careful. Drayce wouldn’t allow these two to trick him a second time. Their facade had been revealed, anyway. So, they’d likely try something else to get one up on them.

So…what should they do?

Zohar’s hand pressed against Drayce’s back once more, indicating that he wished to speak with him again. And again, Drayce tilted his head to the side to allow the necromancer to speak into his ear.

“I’ll gather the token.”

The warmth of Zohar’s hand then left the small of Drayce’s back, and he felt uneasy. Drayce…wasn’t exactly thrilled with that. Because of what happened yesterday. But…if Zohar can sense the mana, he would be far better finding the token. Drayce would just be scrambling around in the dark, so to speak.

Hopefully, he would be able to sneak around the two unnoticed, with Keita too busy arguing with Blayke and Fiorello as distraction. Kamali was the one who discovered the token last time, so Keita and Runihura may or may not be keeping a closer eye on him this time around.

He just had to hope and believe that Zohar would keep himself out of danger. And to know that his life and safety was worth far more than any treasure.

“Hey, where did that tall, shirtless guy go?” Keita suddenly asked with a curious tilt of his head.

Damn. The kid was more observant that Drayce gave him credit for. Then again, that shouldn’t be a surprise. Unfortunately, the one thing that treasure hunters and bandits had in common was a critical eye for detail.

“Hmmm, that must mean there’s a token nearby,” Keita observed with a surprisingly feral grin. “Sounds fun~”

As Keita said that, Runihura spun on his heel and darted down the path. Keita smirked as he turned to follow, taking to the foliage and essentially following his partner.

“H-hey!” Drayce called out feebly. 

How did they know that the source of mana was detected behind them? Did the harbinger actually see where Zohar went? Or did they not know and were they attempting to sneak around behind them instead of going through them?

With his shield and cannon, Drayce wasn’t built for speed to say the least. Blayke was, however, and he uttered a snarl as he darted forward, too. Drayce opened his mouth to call back the irritated fencer, but Blayke stopped on his own accord near a bend in the path. He raised his rapier just in time as another blade sliced down toward him. A loud metallic clang was heard as the two steel weapons clashed against each other’s.

Instinctively, Drayce reached for his cannon while readying himself to call a decoy shield should the harbinger decide to join in on the attack.

However, Runihura appeared behind Keita. And then moved past him, darting quickly down another path and quickly lost within the shadows of the labyrinth.

Keita smirked again as he jumped back from Blayke, positioned himself so that his back faced the direction that Runihura disappeared in, and quickly sheathed his blade. “Hey, thanks for the help~!” he said cheerfully before he, too, turned and ran away.

What? They got past Zohar? W-here was he? Was he ok?

Drayce hurried to Blayke and grabbed him by the elbow to stop him from pursuing. Thankfully, Blayke didn’t rip himself out of his grip. Instead he fell still and just glared hatefully, and menacingly, in the direction the two bandits disappeared in.

“Damn pieces of shit! How can they move so fast?” Blayke fumed.

Drayce couldn’t answer that. But at least he knew that Blayke was unharmed. Infuriated and spitting mad, but unharmed. 

His gaze soon turned to look down the path the two had dart in and from. He couldn’t see Zohar anywhere and he started to become worried. But the two had moved so quickly. Surely, they wouldn’t have had the time to do anything to the necromancer, right?

…Right?

“Zohar?” Drayce called out, swallowing back his concern.

Finally, the tall, bronze-skinned necromancer emerged from a small nook in the foliage. And Drayce released the breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding, and released the grip he had on Blayke’s arm. Convinced that the fencer won’t give chase to those two bandits.

Drayce raced over to him and raised his hand to touch the side of his face. “Are you all right?” he asked as he looked him straight in the eyes.

Zohar gave him a small smile as he rested a hand against his side. “Yes, I’m fine.”

He couldn’t see any injuries and Zohar didn’t appeared perturbed in anyway. “What happened?”

“That harbinger was surprisingly good at gathering materials and finding rare items himself,” Zohar explained.

Was he? Though, was it because he was a bandit? Or was there another reason?

Never mind that for now. There was something more important to worry about.

Drayce sighed and dropped his hand from the side of Zohar’s face to rest upon his shoulder. “Either way, they got another token.”

And so quickly, too. They had been waiting for them, sure. But they move so fast. Wait, they had a necromancer of their own on their side. So why wait for them when that short, deep-voiced necromancer was just as capable?

Probably just showing off their skills to unnerve him.

Zohar’s hand pressing firmly against his side pulled Drayce from his musings. “Not quite.”

“Huh?”

“Theodore,” Zohar stated, with a smile.

A split second later, that familiar cold chill raced down Drayce’s spine as the white, squishy wraith manifested out of seeming thin air. He danced happily in the air with a rather prideful expression on his face.

And in his hands…was the token!

“How-?” Drayce stuttered as the wraith presented the token for him to take. Which he soon did, grasping it tightly in his hand and pressing that closed hand against his chest.

“I spoke with Ashton about those bandits and we devised a plan of creating a replica token to replace the real one should those bandits interfere,” Zohar explained as the others of their party gathered around. “We just wanted to be cautious. We didn’t wish for a repeat of last time.”

No, neither did he.

“Oh…good, I’m relieved,” Drayce said, truly relieved. He reached out with his other hand to give the white wraith a pat on the head to show his gratitude. “Thank you, Theo.”

Surprising, Theodore seemed to purr at the touch, quite happy at the attention. Drayce would have given him a longer head-pat, but Blayke spoke up and reminded him of their situation.

“Let’s get out of here before that brat figures it out.”

“Right,” Drayce said simply as he pulled back his hand to plunge it into his pocket, promptly pulling out the Ariadne Thread. 

And activating it to safety. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, long chapter to mark my determination to return to updating at least once a week. Now, we’re getting to the fun stuff :3c Enjoy~!

“You’re back!” Faelen greeted them the moment Drayce and the others stepped into the foyer of the Crescentia. He hurried straight over to Drayce and looked up at him with expectant and concerned eyes. “Are you all right? Did you meet those bandits?”

“Unfortunately, we did,” Drayce answered before a smile tugged at his lips and he revealed a small silver token. “Fortunately, we got the token. Is everything all right here?”

Faelen looked at the token for a moment, clearly relieved. He spent another moment to ponder Drayce’s question. “Ah, well, there was a strange noise outside,” he replied as he tapped his cheek. “But when Ashton went out to take a look, he said there was nothing there.”

Drayce felt a spike of concerned. “Really now?”

He was sure it was nothing. And Ashton had been around treasure hunters and the art of treasure hunting for years to know to keep himself out of trouble. But Drayce couldn’t help but feel a prang of concern at the thought that there could have been a bandit sneaking around outside.

They couldn’t put it past those bandits to try something like that.

Drayce kept a firm hold on the token as he shrugged off his shield and set his cannon aside. As he turned to go up the stairs, he was stilled momentarily when Ashton appeared. The dedicated caretaker looked relieved to see them all returned safely.

There was a hint of worry, though.

“You’ve returned quickly,” he pointed out with a subtle hint of curiosity. 

“Hey Ash,” Drayce returned before he showed him the token. “Your invention with Zohar worked a treat.”

Ashton smiled at that as he reached the bottom step. “Good. After the stunt they pulled, they deserved to be tricked themselves.”

Indeed. While Drayce didn’t like to lower himself to their antics, but what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, right? And it was just punishment for scaring Faelen like that.

“Everything all right outside?” Drayce asked when he remembered what Faelen informed him. As he turned to give Ashton his full attention, his gaze fell upon his right hand. Where a make-shift bandage was seen. The bandages reached around his palm and knuckles. “Did…something happen to your hand?”

Was he hurt? When did he get that?

Ashton instinctively hid the injured hand behind his back. “Ah, just cut my hand while in the kitchen, don’t worry.”

“I’ll have a look at it later,” Fiorello piped up, yet sounding dismissive at the notion, too.

“Sure.” Ashton, too, seemed rather unconcerned as he simply shrugged. He soon folded his arms across his chest as he turned to give his attention to everyone within the foyer. “I assume you won’t be heading back in the labyrinth today? Why not head to your rooms and get out of those adventuring clothes. We’ve got a long day in the library, it seems.”

Drayce gave a small chuckle at that. “We sure do. Shashi is sure to be happy with our bounty.”

As everyone ventured up the stairs, Ashton stepped to the side. And Drayce waited for everyone to move on before he turned to give the green-haired man his attention once more. He was about to ask if his hand was really ok and to relish in the opportunity to chide the dedicated caretaker about being careful for once.

However, Ashton turned to him first and gave him a rather serious look.

“We had to tell Caelem and Tokala about the existence of the Cursed Blade,” he unexpectedly told him. “It appears the two blades are intertwined. We couldn’t research and talk about one without the other.”

Drayce knew that they would have to tell the two everything soon enough. “No, that’s fine,” he said as he moved toward the stairs. “How did they take it?”

Ashton walked beside him. “They were surprised before growing worried. Especially with these bandits now involved.”

Drayce couldn’t help but clench his hand tighter around the silver token. “Yeah.”

“You wish to head straight to the library?” Ashton asked him as they reached the third-floor landing. “Or to your room first?”

“Just let me drop of my jacket,” Drayce replied, already shrugging off said article of clothing. “And my armour. Shouldn’t keep Shashi waiting too long. I’m sure Faelen has already rushed ahead to tell him, so I can’t weasel my way out of this one.”

That got a short laugh from Ashton. “The map activated, so he’s aware of a token being discovered. But you’re right. He’s going to be coming after you if you don’t show up soon.”

Well, he’d better hurry to his room as not to keep the equally dedicated sigil specialist waiting!

Ensuring that he had a tight grip on the token still, Drayce broke into a light jog to his room. He ducked in to throw his jacket onto the foot of his bed. He spent a minute hastily unclasping and virtually kicking off his armour and shin guards. Dressed in his cameo pants and a black sleeveless top, he broke into another half jog as he left his room.

He reached the stairs around the same time that Blayke did. Though his friend was free of his armour, he still had a slight scowl on his face. No doubt still pissed off after he confrontation with bandit Keita in the labyrinth.

“Ah, you’re back!” Caelem exclaimed with relief as he greeted them on the top step. He paused in front of Blayke and looked between him and Drayce with his ears folded back slightly. “You’re ok, right?”

The scowl on Blayke’s face soon disappeared and he gave Caelem a small, reassuring smile. “We’re fine, don’t worry.”

Salim walked out of the library at a more leisurely manner. “Met some bandits, huh?”

That scowl made a prompt return. “Same shits as yesterday,” Blayke muttered.

“But we got one over on them this time,” Drayce replied as he moved to walk into the library. As he reached the threshold of the doors, Salim unexpectedly pulled him aside. 

“Hey, quick question. That guy,” he said in a hushed tone and motioned toward Ashton with a tilt of his head. “Are you sure he's just a scholar?”

Drayce blinked in confusion. “Huh? Ashton?” he turned to look over at the other man, finding him speaking easily with Shashi in the library. “Something wrong?”

“It's just...I dunno,” Salim admitted awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. “I just feel as though I should ask him to spar with me or something. I've been around pugilists my whole life, and he totally just feels like one.”

“Oh...?” Drayce didn’t know what a pugilist felt like. Ashton had always been ol’ Ash to him. Placid, if a bit too dedicated to the role of caretaker. But definitely a friendly, reliable guy. He couldn’t really imagine him as a scrappy brawler.

Not that it would matter to him if he was. He just…couldn’t really picture it.

“Good to see you’re all back in one piece,” Shashi greeted as Drayce walked inside. “With a token at that.”

“Yup,” Drayce grinned as he revealed the token in his hand. “Did the map activate just like last time?”

Shashi nodded his head. “Yes, briefly. May I see the token?”

Drayce promptly handed over the silver token to Shashi. “Of course. Here.”

Shashi carefully picked up the coin-like token and raised it a little higher to allow him to inspect it more clearly. He examined it for a few silent moments before he made a soft sound of curiosity. “Interesting. There is a unique brand of mana here.”

That was likely the reason why Zohar and Kamali were able to hone in on the source of mana and find the token under a short amount of time. 

“Kamali, help me with the sketching,” Shashi requested as he headed over to the large wooden table in the middle of the room, where the map and the myriad of books were found.

“Of course,” Kamali replied as he moved to follow his brother.

The brothers spent a moment to clear area around the map. And to grab the necessary writing materials. Shashi turned toward Drayce suddenly and presented the token toward him. “Drayce. Could you do the honours?”

Drayce was somewhat surprised, but he soon deduced that it was the best. He did something similar with the parchment containing the Moon Legacy. And while they weren’t sure what was contained within this parchment, it would be best that Drayce be the one to activate it. Just in case something untoward happened.

Better him than one of the others. 

“Sure,” Drayce dutifully replied as he retrieved the token and stood before the map. “Where should I place it?”

“The map reacted from the bottom left hand corner,” Shashi explained. “Try placing it there.”

So Drayce did just that. He placed the token, with the lotus engraving face up, upon the corner of the parchment. He pressed the token down with his index finger. And as soon as the silver coin touched the parchment, the lotus symbol glowed a gentle light blue.

The light then dissipated quickly, flowing outwards over the parchment. It spread out in a spiderweb like fashion, allowing for symbols that were both foreign but somehow familiar to appear in the soft, pulsating light.

Both Kamali and Shashi furiously sketched the symbols upon their notebooks. But all too soon, the light faded out. Only the black grid pattern was left upon the parchment.

From how things appeared, there were indeed four tokens in total. One for each corner. In order to see the entirety of the map, they needed all the tokens together.

“I think that’s the best we’re going to get for now,” Drayce said as he slowly raised his hand and pulled back from the parchment.

“I managed to catch a few symbols,” Kamali said as he kept his gaze upon his notebook, already making a few notes of his own.

Shashi, too, was assessing his sketches. “As did I. Unfortunately, I am not adept at reading ancient therian. The best I could do was to sketch the symbols.”

“That’s more than enough,” Drayce reassured. “Anything at this point will be helpful. So other than the map activating briefly, how goes the research?”

Shashi put down his notebook only to pick up another, quickly flipping back through the many pages. “We did manage to find some more information. Caelem was the one to discover it first. He’s quite the researcher himself.”

Drayce immediately turned to give Caelem. “Awesome, great job, Caelem.”

The therian was quite obviously pleased at the praise. If the straightening of his ears and the light, excitable flush to his cheeks was any indication. He really was quite the adorable guy, huh? He certainly was enthusiastic. Good to see!

“It seems that the Turquoise Lotus Father is the one to have created the Shining Lotus,” Shashi nonchalantly explained. 

Too nonchalantly for such an important piece of information! So not only did he wield the Shining Lotus, he actually created it?

“For his brother’s sake,” Caelem continued eagerly. “And to prevent others from being hurt.”

Shashi nodded his head as he slapped shut his notebook and folded an arm across his torso. “Yes. That is his sole and only reason for becoming a masurao.”

Caelem eagerly nodded his head once more. But then he paused and he stared down at the ground before him with a contemplative expression. “That’s…the true path of the masurao, isn’t it? To fight for others.”

Drayce’s eyes softened. “It is a worthy cause.”

A small smile made its way upon Caelem’s lips as he lifted his head to look toward Drayce. “It is.”

Hm. Not only was Caelem learning more of his ancestor, he was learning more about himself. And his role as a masurao. Which was the reason why he left his village to go on a journey of his own.

Drayce was honestly happy for him.

“Of course, that’s the laymen terms of it,” Shashi stated idly as he set his notebook aside just to pick up another one. “I’d like to know how. Specifically, how he was able to create such a weapon.”

“I’d like to know, too,” Caelem admitted.

Well, that was a hint that they both wanted to return to researching if he had ever heard one.

Drayce left the token upon the map and took a step back so that he wouldn’t get in the way of the enthusiastic and devoted researchers. Shashi and Kamali were sure to be busy inspecting the markings they had sketched from the map, while Caelem was to be looking for more information on his village’s founding father.

The best thing that Drayce could do for the time being was to check on his maps of the second floor. And mark down where they discovered that token.

As Drayce stepped through the library doors, he unexpectedly found Tokala sat at the top step of the stairs. He had his knees pulled to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. He looked rather…glum, for a lack of a better word. Not something Drayce had seen from the bubbly therian before. 

To say he was a little bit concerned would be an understatement.

“Hm? Tokala?” Drayce questioned as he approached the therian, prompting the other to abruptly sit up straight and turned his head toward him. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Tokala immediately insisted, though it did sound more like an answer out of reflex instead of true honesty. Thankfully, Drayce didn’t have to press him and he sighed quietly as he turned his gaze back down the stairs. Yet, he wasn’t actually looking at anything. Just gazing off into space, lost to his thoughts.

So Drayce sat down on the step next to him. 

“It’s just…there’s a lot happening here, huh?” Tokala finally spoke. “It’s kinda overwhelming.”

Ah. To an outsider, the task of treasure hunting and gathering of information, sometimes shocking information, could indeed be overwhelming and puzzling. Not to mention that the necklace Tokala had for so long was the key they needed to begin the search of a mythical (or possibly dangerous) weapon created hundreds of years ago.

His search for answers to his origins resulted in him learning about someone he never knew existed. And was likely to wonder why or if he had any connection to said important figure.

“It can feel that way sometimes,” Drayce comforted.

“Do you think I could be from Caelem’s village?”

“I don’t doubt it.”

A truly confused and sombre expression appeared on Tokala’s face and he hugged his knees tighter. “So why…?”

Drayce couldn’t give him an answer. Just a possibility. Or assumption. Or just a guess. “Maybe it was a desperate attempt to protect you?”

Tokala rested his chin atop of his knees, seemingly pondering that notion. He then turned his head toward Drayce, his cheek resting against his knees. “I’m…glad that we ran into you in the labyrinth. It could have just been me and Salim. Those bandits…”

Drayce had allowed that thought to occur to him, too. “I’m glad that we ran into you two, as well.”

A rather sad smile made its way to Tokala’s lips. “…Salim will do whatever it takes to help me. Protect me. But…I’m tired of him getting hurt because of me. But…I also feel bad about dragging you into this, too.”

“Hey now, you didn’t drag me into it,” Drayce promptly insisted as he pointed toward himself. “Treasure hunter, remember? I’d stick my nose into it regardless. This way just ensures that we’ve had a head start and everyone is as safe as they can be.”

That made Tokala relax and a genuine smile appeared. “…Yeah. You’re…really nice.”

“I’m only doing what’s right,” Drayce insisted.

Tokala unwound his arms from his legs and allowed them to stretch out upon the stairs in front of him. He was clearly relaxed and reassured by Drayce’s words. Which Drayce was truly relieved about. 

“Your guildmates seem really nice, too,” Tokala added.

“Yup,” Drayce promptly agreed. “I'm a lucky guild leader, that's for sure.”

“Caelem and Faelen are welcoming,” Tokala continued, that genuine smile still upon his lips. “Are they related?”

Drayce shook his head. “Nope, just have similar names.”

Tokala made a sound that was almost akin to a giggle. His became quiet, however, as another look of contemplativeness appeared upon his features. “...I never really had much interaction with Therians before.”

“Because you grew up in an Earthlain village?” Drayce asked with a curious tilt of his head.

Tokala nodded his head. “Yeah. And...”

“And what?”

“W-well,” Tokala stuttered, suddenly appearing uncomfortable as he drew his legs to his chest once more. “My parents, I mean Sal's parents, were protective because there were...certain groups that would, ah, gather Therians and sell them off.”

Gather…?

“What? Slave traders?” Drayce questioned, eyes wide.

Tokala gave a skittish nod of his head. “Y-yeah. Fur traders, too.”

Drayce felt a knot of disgust along with sheer protectiveness appear in his stomach. “That's...”

“But Salim's family are all pugilists!” Tokala exclaimed allowed, purposely but falsely jovial. “So, I was fine, you know? Sal is really strong.”

Good. Any slave trader or trafficker deserved to have the snot punched right out of them. And then some sense punched right into them.

Bandits were bad enough. But traffickers. Those…were just sickening.

“How about you? You want to become a pugilist?” Drayce asked in an attempt to both push back his protectiveness and to change the obviously unsettling subject.

“Huh?” Tokala murmured, surprised by the question. He looked forward into the empty space in front of him as he pondered what he had been asked. “W-well, maybe. I don’t really like confrontation, though. I wish everyone could just get along, you know?”

“Absolutely.”

Nothing wrong with being a pacifist. 

“Drayce! Tokala!”

Drayce jumped slightly at the sound of Caelem’s excited voice. He instinctively pushed himself to his feet and turned to regard the animated therian as he approached. “Hm? What’s up, Cal?”

“I just found some information on Tokala’s necklace,” Caelem blurted out as he showed him an open book that he held.

“What? Really?” Tokala asked as he jumped to his feet, too.

“Yes. It’s called the Scarlet Lotus,” Caelem explained as he read from the book. “And it was created by someone called Sorataki.”

Tokala’s eyes widen in excitement. “W-who’s that?”

But Caelem shook his head slightly in disappointment. “Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly. He’s someone close to the Turquoise Lotus Father, though. I thought that maybe that was his brother’s name, but now I’m not so sure. “

Tokala seemed to…deflate upon hearing that. His shoulders sagged and his ears flattened worriedly against the top of his head. “…Could they be the one that wanted to find the Cursed Blade?”

Caelem, however, shook his head again. No disappointment this time as he trailed a fingertip over a paragraph in the book he held. “No, I don’t think so. As I said, he appeared close to the Turquois Lotus Father. It says that he shared a close bond with the both of them after the war.”

Tokala perked right up again. “Really? So my necklace is called the Scarlet Lotus? What’s it for?”

“I’m looking into that, too,” Caelem promptly replied as he half turned to head back into the library. He paused, however, and turned to give Tokala a curious look. “Do you want to help?”

“Ah, sure!” Tokala replied with a slight moment of hesitation.

“Have fun, you two,” Drayce simply encouraged, gaining a happy smile from Caelem and a quick look of gratitude from Tokala.

Drayce took to the top of the stairs as the two therians hurried back into the library. And he soon found himself falling into thought.

Interesting. A third party involved in this? And he made the Scarlet Lotus. That pendant was the key to the small treasure chest that was hidden in a music box. That Sorataki being was likely instrumental in not only creating that chest, but possibly aided in the sealing or hiding of the lotus blades.

“Drayce.”

The sound of Shashi’s voice promptly pulled Drayce from his thoughts. And he blinked in surprised when he found the purple-haired celestian right in front of him. “Yeah?” he asked rather dumbly.

Shashi quickly handed him a parchment. “Here. I did a quick sketch of what appears to be a map. I noticed a slight anomaly in this upper corner. Perhaps if you took to it with one of your maps, you might be able to predict where the next token can be discovered?”

“That’s a good idea,” Drayce said as he quickly took hold of the parchment and immediately studied it with his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll do that. I need to mark down where he found today’s token, too.”

Shashi nodded his head. “I shall return to work, too.”

“Shashi, wait,” Drayce abruptly called to him, prompting Shashi to pause mid move and regard him with a curious tilt of his head. “There’s something bothering me.”

“Hm?” Shashi turned to give him his full attention. 

“It's about the lotuses,” Drayce began. “I've noticed a small discrepancy. From research, it's believed that the Shining Lotus was created in response to the Turquoise Lotus Father's brother being used as a Despot General, right? But the Cursed Blade was created out of jealousy for the Shining Lotus, right? Then how or why was the brother used against his will?”

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on one’s point of view, Shashi nodded his head and folded an arm across his chest as he held his chin in thought. “I've noticed that, too. It is entirely possibly that there was another blade that took possession of the brother. Or, the Cursed Blade is the blade responsible, and there is even a darker blade out there somewhere.”

Drayce roughly ran a hand through his hair. So, he wasn’t just misinterpreting or mishearing information. “So, it's possible that we're dealing with three blades?”

“Quite possibly,” Shashi answered simply, in his usual straight forward fashion that Drayce was honestly very thankful for. “That’s something I’ve picked up, too. And it is bothering me. There has been a vague insinuation of a third blade. And by piecing everything together, there had to be one. But what happened, I don’t know.” He abruptly dropped his arms to his sides. “I will keep searching.”

“Ok,” Drayce returned simply, knowing that there was little he could do to stop him. Even if he really wanted to. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

Shashi simply nodded his head in acknowledgement before he turned and re-entered the library swiftly. And Drayce turned to head on down stairs to his room to retrieve his own map of the second floor.

He quickly entered the room and snatched up the map, his mind promptly drifted back to all the information he just learnt. His short conversation with Shashi indicated that sigil specialist hadn’t spoken to Caelem about his concerns. Especially not to Tokala. The mentioning of a third blade would likely be overwhelming for the two.

They didn’t even know if there was a third blade. Best to find solid information and evidence before making any decisions.

And the best thing Drayce could do was to inspect his map. And hope to find something useful.

Returning upstairs and making his way to his office, Drayce quickly gathered a few old parchments and documents he had inspected previous, before he settled himself into his chair. He was likely to be there a few hours.

With the parchment Shashi gave him, his own map, and another older map that seemed to hold dimensions similar to that of the second floor sprawled out on his desk, Drayce began to search for a pattern. A clue of some kind that could help him with his next move.

Two tokens weren’t enough to establish a pattern, that was an unfortunate fact. They found the first token near the centre of the map, within a well-used gathering spot. And the one today a few pathways from there, not at a gathering spot. 

The best he could do was guess that another could be found further north. Near a lush area of greenery, yet somewhere not obvious at first glance. Yet, that wasn’t a guarantee, either. Someone else could have picked it up and dropped it elsewhere. A curious animal or monster could have picked it up or buried it. It might not even be on that floor anymore.

They had been both lucky and unlucky so far.

Still…his gut instinct told him that the third and fourth token were somewhere on the second floor. Waiting to be discovered. Activated after the music box was discovered, and the small treasure chest opened.

Drayce leaned back into his chair and stretched his arms over his head. It was getting dark. He had no idea how many hours he had spent in his office. If he didn’t make an appearance downstairs, or at least show himself in front of Ashton, said green-haired caretaker would come after him.

And he was not in the mood to be flung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, thank you very much.

Setting his work aside for the time being, Drayce placed his hands atop of his desk and heaved himself to his feet. He was somewhat surprised that Ashton hadn’t come to check in on him. Though, he was likely attempting to keep an eye on the other researchers of their guild. And maybe keep watch over the Crescentia itself out of sheer protectiveness.

Stepping out into the hallway, Drayce was honestly rather surprised to find it so dark.

“Huh?” he uttered aloud as he glanced in the direction of the library. 

The doors to the room were closed, surprisingly. And the lights were off. He couldn’t see any illumination from under the doors. He had figured that Shashi or even Caelem would still be inside the room, roaming the aisles, inspecting the shelves for information. They couldn’t do that with the light off.

The again, maybe Ashton got to them and ordered them to get some sleep. He was, ah, very persuasive after all.

It was likely just his paranoia talking, but he better just take a quick peek inside and check to see if anyone was inside. And to check on them if they were. And why the light was off.

Drayce quickly made his way over to the library and opened one of the doors. “Hey?” he called into the darkness. “Shashi, you here? I know you guys can see in the dark, but isn’t this pushing it?”

No response.

Huh…there didn’t appear to be anyone inside. So maybe Ashton got to them after all.

Just as that though entered his mind, Drayce felt a presence suddenly appear right behind him. That presence was unknown to him. He didn’t recognise it at all. 

Before he could turn around, the presence behind him lunged forward to slip their arms around him, and to place something soft but moist against his mouth. “Wh-Mphf!”

Drayce instantly reacted, reaching up to tug at the leather-bound hands that pressed that cloth firmly and roughly against his nose and mouth. He knew that he needed to make some noise, to alert someone. He, unfortunately, took a deep breath in surprise from the sudden assault. And when he did, he felt immediately nauseous. 

And dizzy.

C-crap…there was some kind of sleep toxin on the cloth? Who-?

“…I’m sorry…” a soft, wispy voice filled with guilt whispered into his ear.

That voice…an apology? Was that the…harbinger bandit?

Unfortunately, Drayce’s vision began to grey out and his world tilted in ways he hadn’t experienced before. He was vaguely aware that he was slipping, in both the hold of his assailant and in consciousness. 

He felt himself slump to the floor before everything went dark.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I’m in the vulnerable bracket for corona, I’ve been advised to stay at home as much possible. A good excuse to get some writing done. I think we’re about half way through this saga, and the fun is starting :3 Now, I hope you enjoy reading~

Drayce felt as though his whole his body was trembling as he attempted to force open his eyes. Yet that task felt so difficult. And all he wanted to do was to keep his eyes shut and to go back to sleep.

But there was something telling him that he needed to open his eyes. Now. 

With more effort that it should take, Drayce opened his eyes. His vision was blurry and dark. And everything appeared tilted. Disorientated. He appeared to be…lying on the floor. On his side. It took him a few slow seconds of blinking his eyes to regain some kind of clarity.

As his vision cleared, so did the fog within his mind. 

And his eyes snapped open widely when previous events came rushing back.

Library. Lights off. Someone else there. Cloth over his mouth. The feeling of nausea and dizziness. And…an apology.

Drayce tried to sit up, but he soon realised that his hands were pinned behind his back. His wrists bound together with some kind of rope acting as a restraint. Damn, his ankles, too. Not only that, but he had a cloth covering his mouth, successfully gagging him.

He slumped to the floor as a fresh wave of nausea washed over him.

The person who attacked him was obviously the one who tied and gagged him. But at least he was still in the library. Though his vision was still on the blurry side, he could see enough. Could see the familiar structures of tall bookcases overflowing with books and scrolls. He was still within the Crescentia. And that was reassuring.

Now…to get out of these restraints…without passing out again.

He closed his eyes and tugged at the bindings around his wrists. Man, whatever his attacker used on him was potent. He could barely move without his vision threatening to grey out again.

The sound of a low whine caused Drayce to blearily open his eyes. The doors to the library rattled, softly at first before somewhat desperately. As if there was someone or something throwing themselves against it. He heard another whine, louder than the one before and then the sound of canine claws scraping at the floor. 

He turned his head slowly toward the doors. He could see a light emanating from behind the door. And he could see two shadows. No, there was three.

Nashoba. He was the one attempting to break down the doors.

“Nashoba? Hey, who’s in there? Drayce? Why is the door locked?”

Ashton. 

“Something is wrong. Let Theodore open the door for us.”

And Zohar.

“Right.”

A mere second later Theodore phased through the door and glanced around the room rapidly with his eyes narrowed, and suspicious. His soon snapped around in Drayce’s direction. Almost comically (or would have been comical if they weren’t for the situation they were in), an expression of fright and surprised appeared on the round wraith’s face.

He then turned back toward the door, where a chair was also propped against it to act as barricade. 

Theodore’s hand then turned into a sharp, menacing claw and swatted the chair to the side sharply, breaking a leg from the chair. With the chair no longer acting as hindrance, the doors of the library flew open as both Ashton and Zohar stood tall on the threshold.

Drayce subconsciously slumped to the floor out of relief and closed his eyes. It appeared that whoever attacked him didn’t attempt to do anything to his guildmates. Better him than anyone else.

“Drayce!” Ashton called out in alarm.

Soon, two sets of hands were on him, tugging at his bindings and removing the gag from his mouth. Drayce was then abruptly pulled into a sitting position and he had to bite his lips together in an attempt to ward off the dizziness once more. 

A strong arm wrapped around his shoulders. Funnily enough, they didn’t feel like they belonged to Ashton. And the taut chest he was rested against didn’t feel like him, either.

Blearily, he opened his eyes again and tilted his head back. Only for his gaze to lock with that of Zohar’s. He looked…really worried.

“What happened?” Ashton asked him, pulling him back to the reality of the situation.

Drayce raised a hand to touch his forehead as he rested heavily against Zohar. “I…heard a noise and saw the light off in the library. I think…one of those bandits was here.” 

A troubling thought then occurred to him and he feebly tried to sit up under his own strength. But all he could manage was to weakly motion toward the table in the middle of the room. “The research…”

Unbeknownst to him, Shashi had entered the room shortly after Aston and Zohar had. He lingered at the back as two fussed over Drayce. Upon mentioning of the research, he quickly made his way over to the work table.

“It’s been rifled through,” Shashi replied. “Some documents appear to be missing.”

Missing? Damn.

“It was those bandits, then,” Ashton muttered, his expression dark as he stayed crouched in front of Drayce.

“Who was it?” Zohar asked as he wound his arm tighter around Drayce’s shoulders and keeping him resting against him.

Drayce had to think for a moment. “Ah, the harbinger, I think. He used something on me.”

“Likely a form of miasma,” Zohar murmured, more to himself however.

The sound of claws as they scraped against the wooden flooring and a cold, wet nose nudging against his hand prompted Drayce to tilt his head to the side. He soon found the noble white wolf, Nashoba. He laid on the floor next to him, ears back, looking decidedly worried.

Drayce smiled as he raised his hand and gave the white wolf a grateful pat. “Nashoba. Thank you.”

Nashoba gave a small whine as he pushed his head against Drayce’s hand. The wolf was clearly concerned for him. And somewhat anxious. But he wasn’t prowling the room and wasn’t acting defensively. 

That meant that the room was clear, right?

But…

“Shashi, the map?” Drayce asked weakly. 

“It’s still here,” Shashi promptly reassured. “I had it with me. It wasn’t in the library at the time.”

Thank goodness for that.

“What’s…missing then?” 

“Research on the Cursed Blade. And the token.”

Drayce winced, and his nausea promptly increased. “That’s…what they’re after?”

Ashton crouched closer toward Drayce and grabbed his arm. He raised it up over his head to rest limply over his shoulders. He then slipped an arm around Drayce’s back and another under his knees. And without any effort at all, he picked Drayce up off the floor and into his arms. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Drayce squeezed his eyes tightly shut as an almost crippling wave of dizziness washed over him once more. His allowed his arm to drape loosely around Ashton’s neck as he rested his head on his shoulder. He hoped that by doing so would ward off the haziness consuming him.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

Blayke? Man, he was going to be pissed.

“A bandit broke into the library.”

“Drayce?”

“He was attacked.”

Ashton…he didn’t have to put it like that. That was sure to worry the others. Drayce was in no state to dispute that, however.

By the Mighty Tree, he was so dizzy. It didn’t help that Ashton was effortlessly carrying him around. 

He just wished his head would stop spinning.

Fiorello’s voice suddenly cut through the sound of the blood pumping in his ears. “Take him to his room. Zohar; stay in the library with Shashi for now and gather the research materials. I’d tell the rest of you to stay back, but I know you won’t.”

The rest? Ah, the others must have been drawn to the commotion. And they…were sure to be worried. Especially now that it had been revealed that a bandit could indeed break their way into the Crescentia. Their sanctuary.

Some guild leader he was.

“Sit him up on the bed,” Fiorello continued to issue orders. 

Drayce soon felt the comforting softness of his bed and he had to fight the urge not to simply flop down upon it. Sleep would feel so good about now. But with Ashton’s arm still around his shoulders, keeping him upright and his head throbbing in protest, he wasn’t likely to get any sleep any time soon.

Despite his wooziness, Drayce managed to open his eyes. Just as Fiorello appeared before him, a blue glass bottle in his hands. To which he promptly offered it to him.

“Here, drink this,” he ordered. “It will help with the nausea.”

Drayce promptly took the medicine from the botanist and once again ignoring the nauseating vertigo, downed the entire thing in one shot. Better to drink it all at once and get it over with, honestly.

Thankfully, the medicine didn’t taste that bad. And Fiorello finally allowed for Drayce to lie down onto his bed. The need to simply roll over and go to sleep quickly arose again, but he stubbornly pushed it aside.

He did roll over onto his side, however, his head on the pillow and his eyes shut as he willed the vertigo to stop.

“W-will he be ok?” Faelen asked softly, shakily. 

“They used some kind of sleep-inducing substance on him,” Fiorello explained, none of his usual cheekiness or mirth in his voice. “It also caused his blood pressure to drop. He’s just suffering the side effects for now. They’ll pass within a day or so.”

…A day?!

“Th-that bad?” Faelen stuttered, also quite startled.

“I really don’t like this,” Blayke practically snarled. “How did they get inside the Crescentia?”

“They’re bandits and thieves,” Ashton returned with a sharp edge to his tone. “Breaking and entering is what they do.”

“Still…”

“Yeah, I should have predicted this…”

Honestly, Drayce should have, too. Keane was the one ordering those bandits around. And from first meeting with the guy, he felt as if he would literally do whatever necessary to get what he wanted. No matter who got in his way.

He should have realised there would be repercussions of their daring switch-a-roo today.

“At…least we know what they are after now,” Drayce muttered, attempting to find some kind of solace in recent events.

The nausea and dizziness thankfully and finally started to subside. To the point where his head was no longer throbbing and he couldn’t hear his blood pumping in his ears. And Drayce managed to push himself up onto his side, leaning on his right elbow. 

“You guys, head back to your rooms,” Drayce ordered gently as he clutched at his forehead with his other hand. “The danger’s past now. They got what they wanted.”

Of course, Blayke started to protest. “But-”

“Blayke,” Drayce cut him off. He motioned with his other hand for him to approach his side of the bed. He promptly did so, kneeling on the ground next to the bed. “Stay with the others, ok? Faelen, Caelem, and Kamali…watch over them for me.”

“…Fine,” Blayke returned after a moment of silence. “They can stay in my room tonight. No way in hell I’m getting any sleep tonight.”

Drayce gave him a lopsided grin. As tired as it was. “You pulling an all-nighter? And you get mad at me.”

Blayke shot him a glare. But it was a worryingly glare.

With a soft gaze, Drayce reached out to slip a hand around the back of Blayke’s neck. He then pulled him toward him so that their foreheads touched softly. “I’m fine, really.”

Blayke didn’t respond at first. And Drayce was fairly certain he knew what was going around in his head. Guilt, anger, worry. Unfairly blaming himself for what happened. Chiding himself for not having the foresight to expect such a thing. 

“Don’t push yourself,” Blayke finally muttered.

“You, too.”

Without another word, Blayke pushed himself to his feet and dutifully took a step back. Drayce would have to thank him for his support and understanding in the morning.

“Drayce?” Faelen asked softly, worry in his voice as he occupied the space Blayke had just vacated. 

Much like he did with Blayke, Drayce reached out to gently pull the young rover toward him so that their foreheads touched. The touch was hopefully both comforting and reassuring. “Stay with Blayke tonight, ok? I’m all right. If nothing else, I’m sure to sleep like a stone. It won’t happen again.”

“Alright,” Faelen returned feebly. “Do you want Nashoba to stay?”

“Keep him with you. I’ll have Ashton stalking around me for tonight, I believe,” he added with a hopefully light-hearted tone.

Faelen managed a small smile. “Ok. I’ll…try to get some sleep. So, you won’t worry.”

“I appreciate it,” Drayce returned softly.

With Kamali’s help, Blayke ushered Faelen and Caelem from the room. He spoke quietly with Caelem, obviously reassuring the masurao as Kamali comforted Faelen. When the small group left the room, Drayce allowed himself to flop down on his back and draped an arm over his eyes. He managed to push back the dizziness long enough to reassure his guildmates.

Now? He just felt tired. And, well, rather…useless, to be completely honest.

He had a lot of reassuring to do tomorrow, didn’t he?

“Shashi?” From the corner of his eye, he watched as the sigil specialist appear close to his bedside. “The research…”

“They didn’t steal the latest information, fortunately,” Shashi answered quickly. “I managed to discover more information on the Blade Brothers that I wished to inform you of before I tell anyone else. Or more specifically, information on the younger brother of the Turquoise Lotus Father and the events after the Legendary War.”

Drayce let his arm fall from his eyes and he tilted his head toward Shashi’s direction. “What is it?”

Shashi shared a quick glance over to Ashton before his gaze promptly returned to his. “Would it be best to inform you now?”

“Yes, I’m all right,” Drayce insisted as he attempted to push himself into a sitting position. And he thankfully managed to do so without immediately slumping to the side or flat on his back again. “Best for me to know as soon as possible.”

“Very well,” Shashi thankfully said and sat down on the edge of the bed, turned slightly so that he faced him. “It seems that his younger brother was consumed with guilt for being cursed and forced to fight not only his own brother, but to hurt others who tried to help him. Not to mention having fought alongside the dreaded Despot himself. So, he took the name of simply Blood Lotus Brother. As a reminder of his heritage and the sins of his past. The Cursed Blade, as it was known as, was hidden away as it couldn’t be destroyed. No clues were meant to be left, but another therian kept documentation on the Cursed Blade for they believed they could one day prove their true magnificence by controlling the blade.”

Drayce laid still as he allowed the information that Shashi just unleashed to sink into his haze-filled brain.

So…there was a fourth party involved. Things were getting a bit complicated. 

A troubling thought suddenly occurred to him. “Wait, are we following the clues left behind by that other therian?” Drayce asked.

Shashi shook his head. “No, I do not believe so. Caelem discovered information on Sorataki. And he was the creator of the Scarlet Lotus, and from what I’ve deduced he was indeed essential to helping the brothers after the war. The other Therian’s plan was discovered by the brothers and they set forth to leave cryptic clues for future generations to search for the Shining Lotus, the only blade in existence that can defeat the Cursed Blade.”

So…there was a strong possibility that they were in fact following the clues that would eventually lead them to the Shining Lotus.

Yet…he couldn’t rule out the possibility that they were leading toward the Cursed Blade. Either instead of Shining Lotus, or alongside it.

Perhaps the brothers and their companion wanted both blades to be found at the same time?

Either way;

“We need to continue on the path we’re on,” Drayce muttered.

“Yes,” Shashi quickly agreed. “We still have the map. And the Scarlet Lotus necklace. Though the bandits now have information on the Cursed Blade, its information we’ve already documented.”

“That’s a relief,” Drayce said with a grateful smile.

“We’ll keep looking,” Shashi promised in an attempt to reassure him further.

“Now, you get some rest,” Ashton abruptly interjected as he moved to stand next to Shashi, though his full attention was directly on Drayce. “Whatever they used on you will linger for a few more hours yet. Best to simply sleep it off.”

Drayce abruptly remembered that he was, indeed, still very dizzy and he grimaced. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said as he lowered himself back down upon the bed.

“And you; you get some rest, too,” Ashton turned his fussing toward Shashi. “You were researching in your room again.”

Shashi wasn’t to be intimidated by his nagging, however, and simply stood to his feet. “Fortunate in this case, it seems.”

Ashton abruptly poked Shashi in the middle of the forehead and sighed in a truly exasperated manner. “Don’t think you can use what happened here as an excuse.”

Drayce had to chuckle at the two. Ashton was well in truly in his fussy-parental mode. No surprise, honestly. And it was reassuring in a way.

A movement from the corner of his eye caused Drayce to loll his head to the side. To where Zohar stood close to the bedside. He had been quiet throughout everything so far. And though Drayce’s gaze was still on the blurry side of things, he could see the worry in the necromancer’s eyes.

Drayce rolled over onto his side, toward the side of the bed where Zohar stood. As if prompted by his movement, Zohar crouched down just as Drayce pushed himself up onto his elbow.

“I’m all right, Zohar,” Drayce stated simply.

Zohar’s eyes softened, yet there was a sense of guilt to them. “Even so…” he murmured as he reached out to gently touch the side of Drayce’s face. His fingers threaded through his hair that hung by his ear while his thumb gently brushed against his cheek. “I’ll have Theodore keep watch for the night. He does not need to sleep.”

Drayce leaned into the touch. His hand…was warm. “But you do.”

“Perhaps,” Zohar admitted. “Would it be all right if…I keep watch over you?”

That…sounded fine. Yeah…

“If that will make you feel better,” Drayce replied, to which earned him a soft smile from the necromancer.

A smile that Drayce felt himself return, albeit sleepily.

“Very well,” Fiorello unexpectedly chuckled, his usual cheeky tone returning to his voice. “Let’s leave Drayce in Zohar’s care for now. Come and get me should you have any worries.”

Drayce honestly didn’t have the energy to roll back over in bed and with Zohar’s hand now resting against the curve of his neck, he lowered himself back onto the bed. His head comfortably against the pillow.

“…Alright,” Ashton agreed, though with a hint of reluctance in his voice. “I’ll…be up all night, anyway.”

With Zohar’s hand gently massaging the back of his neck, Drayce closed his eyes as his body sunk fully into the mattress and sheets of his bed. Sleep came quickly, though he did have one last coherent thought before the lull of slumber;

He did feel better with Zohar there with him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is staying safe and at home, and I hope this chapter will prove to be a distraction during these crazy and fearful times. Enjoy reading~

“Are you sure you’re up for this? You still look pale.”

Drayce paused at the steps that led into the Council Building and turned to give Blayke his attention. Ever the worry-wort, Blayke looked at him with a frown on his lips and a concern furrowed of his brow. 

In all honesty, Drayce didn’t feel the greatest. He slept surprisingly well, hadn’t awoken once. It was likely due to the fact that Zohar had kept watch over him, which wasn’t as awkward as it probably should have been. But he still felt a little bit nauseous and had a headache from hell. Both side-effects of that sleeping tonic or whatever that was used on him last night.

But he needed to tell Ramus what had happened to the token and how they were robbed. And if Drayce himself didn’t go to inform him, then the little prince would just worry needlessly. 

“I’m all right,” Drayce managed a reassuring smile. “Just a little tired due to…whatever they used on me last night. It’s quite potent. As if they have a botanist on their side as well.”

If it was at all possible, the frown on Blayke’s lips deepened. “I see…”

“I’m just glad they didn’t go after Faelen or Caelem again,” Drayce continued as he turned and moved toward the stairs. He, however, shot a grin over his shoulder at Blayke. “Besides, you pulled an all-nighter, too.”

Blayke snorted lightly. “I still don’t look like shit like you do.”

“Rude.”

Mid way up the stairs, Drayce paused again and turned to Blayke with a request in mind. “Hey, Blayke, don’t mention to Ramus what happened to me in the library last night. I don’t want to worry him.”

Blayke took a moment to consider that and finally uttered a sigh. “Fine.”

‘But if it happened again’ was left unsaid. But Drayce definitely heard it in his head, in Blayke’s voice and all. And Drayce hoped that it indeed didn’t happen again. But…if it had to, for whatever reason, he hoped that it happened to him, and no one else of his guild.

They fell into silence as they made their way up the grand stairs of the Council Hall and entered the foyer. Once more, there were a throng of explorers lining up to speak with Ramus, the prince dutiful as ever.

Remembering Ramus’ request to not bother to waste time in lining up, and ignoring the side-eyes of annoyance from explorers in said queue, the two of them skipped to the front. And immediately gained the young prince’s attention.

“Ah, you’re back,” Ramus greeted them with a smile, somewhat surprised to see them again so quickly. But he seemed pleased to see them nonetheless. Yet, his smile dimmed significantly as a flicker of concern appeared in his eyes. “…Is there something wrong?”

“Oh, just a long night,” Drayce instinctively responded as managed a smile in an attempt to ease the prince’s concerns. “Nothing to worry about. “

Blayke side-eyed him before he turned his full attention toward Ramus. “We need to have another little…chat. If you’re not busy.”

“Of course not,” Ramus immediately replied as he motioned toward the hall leading to his office. “Come.”

The path to Ramus’ office was taken in silence once more. And the scene of them as they shuffle in, taking seats before the large oak desk, and Ramus shutting the door quietly was becoming increasingly familiar, too.

“I assume that something…untoward happened?” Ramus asked as he took a seat at his desk, much like he had done yesterday.

Blayke roughly folded his arms across his chest as he decided to take the lead for this conversation. “I’ll explain it as frankly as possible.”

He then promptly launched into a short, precise near rant about what had occurred in the library last night. He kept his word, thankfully, about not telling Ramus about how Drayce was also…attacked (for a lack of a better word). Or how he was still feeling the effects of the sleep tonic or poison that they used on him.

As Blayke finished his explanation, Ramus nodded his head quietly. And the expression of worry on his face was quite obvious.

“That’s…unsettling,” he murmured.

Blayke managed to stifle the desire to snort, and instead nodded his head as he leaned back into his chair. “No kidding.”

Ramus’ gaze trailed down to stare at the top of his desk as he folded his hands idly in front of him. “These bandits are proving to be quite dangerous,” he said after a moment of silence. “I will ask the guards to keep a look out for them.”

“That may cause them to take even more drastic actions,” Blayke was quick to point out.

The frown on Ramus’ lips deepened and he nodded his head slowly. “That’s true…though, we simply cannot let them run amok within the city’s limits so freely. Though…they do have free range, as they say, within the labyrinths.”

That was true. The guards of the city couldn’t patrol every nook or corner of the labyrinths. And the official way to the third floor hadn’t even been discovered yet. Intrepid and inquisitive explorers would know more about the halls of the labyrinths than the guards who are confined to rules and regulations.

And it was difficult to prove events or even crimes that occurred with no willing witnesses.

After a moment of contemplative silence, Ramus shook his head as if to clear it. And lifted his gaze from his desk to turn toward Drayce. “Do you mind if I ask how your research of this Turquoise Lotus Father is going?”

Well, that was his cue to get involved in the conversation!

“Ah, we’ve found a few pieces of information. And there’s a few individuals involved.”

Drayce took a second or two to practically gather his wits despite the thumping headache and actually remember all the pieces of information that both Shashi and Caelem had reiterated to him. And then he had to think of the best method to explain all of that to Ramus.

“Turquoise Lotus Father created the weapon known as Shining Lotus in order to enter the Legendary War because his brother, known as Blood Lotus Brother, had been possessed by a dangerous blade known simply as Cursed Blade. We don’t know who created this Cursed Blade or why it forced him to fight alongside The Despot. But from what we can deduce, Turquoise Lotus Father achieved his goal of freeing his brother, but the Cursed Blade still existed. The Blade Brothers and their close friend, a therian known as Sorataki, helped them to hide the blade to prevent another from being possessed by it. However, there is a fourth party involved. Another who was jealous of the Shining Lotus and wants to gain control over the Cursed Blade. From what we understanding, they also hid the Shining Lotus and left clues behind for future generations to uncover should the Cursed Blade ever awaken again.”

Ah…Yeah, he was pretty sure that was everything!

Wow, talk about a word vomit, huh?

Ramus fell silent as he tried to take all the information in. It took him a few moments as, really, there was a lot to digest. And with four individual parties potentially involved (perhaps even more), there were a lot of factors to take into consideration, too. 

“And those bandits are after the Cursed Blade?” Ramus finally asked cautiously with a slight frown. “So why are they collecting the tokens?”

Drayce shook his head. That was a very good question. And the fact that they were involved made the entire thing far more complicated and confusing. 

“I’m not entirely sure,” he replied. “I’m fairly confident that the clues we’ve discovered are meant to lead us to the Shining Lotus. And yet, they also seem to be indicating the Cursed Blade.”

Ramus gave a slow nod of his head before a curious expression flickered across his face. “Perhaps it depends on the intention of those who discover the clues?”

“That’s…possible,” Drayce murmured.

Like with how the Moon Legacy was created with good intentions only for those good intentions to become lost to time. Perhaps the brothers and their friend believed that the treasure chest with the map would remain in the hands of dedicated ancestors, only for the true reason to be forgotten. Or even stolen.

He hadn’t considered that possibility. He would need to speak with Shashi about it when he returned to the Crescentia. 

“I’m afraid I am unable to offer you much assistance this time round,” Ramus went on to say with genuine regret in his voice. “The records of the Legendary war are quite ancient and I’m ashamed to admit, that even we are missing many a piece. I scarcely found any information on my ancestor’s trusted generals.” He shook his head, truly disappointed as his gaze downcast toward his desk once more. “It’s shameful.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Drayce immediately said in an attempt to reassure the prince. “It’s been a thousand years. And well we’re here now. We might be able to fill in the missing pieces.”

Ramus lifted his gaze and looked toward Drayce. A small smile made its way to him lips as he nodded. “Hmm. It seems that your library has far greater resources than the one we have here at the council.”

Drayce returned the smile with a playful one of his own. “Honestly, I have no idea what we actually have in that library of mine.”

Ramus continued to look at Drayce for a while, his gaze studying him. A very light furrow appeared upon his brow. But that was soon lifted and an expression of regal politeness made its way on his features once again.

However, there was a sense…of worry in his gaze. 

“…You’ve been working hard,” he said, his gaze trained completely upon Drayce. “I understand your determination to put an end to this, but…take care of yourself.”

Drayce felt a sense of guilt appear in the centre of his chest. But he quickly squashed as he focused on smiling reassuringly at Ramus once again. “I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Ramus’ face was passive, but his gaze remained the same. And he didn’t appear entirely convinced. Drayce must look as washed-out as he felt. He…would have to try harder next time. If there was a next time, of course.

“We should get going,” Blayke was the one to state, prompting putting an end to both the conversation and Ramus’ inspecting, worried gaze toward Drayce.

“Yes, I imagine you have some…planning to do,” Ramus agreed as he pushed back his chair and took to his feet to do his duty of holding the door for them.

Drayce took to his feet, too. Purposely moving at his usual pace and ignored the way his head spun ever so slightly from the sudden movement. “We’ll be sure to inform you immediately should anything else happen,” he promised before he and Blayke bid their farewells and left the office.

As they headed down the stairs and past the still rather impressive queue of explorers and locals alike, Blayke suddenly grasped Drayce by the shoulder. Drayce had thought it was because he wanted his attention. But it was likely because he also missed a step on the stairs, his head still annoyingly spinning.

“He’s observant,” he said.

“Yeah,” Drayce murmured around a sigh as he touched his forehead tiredly. “So much for not worrying him.”

As they walked toward the carriage boarding area located outside the Council Hall, Drayce suddenly remembered something he deemed important. And since they were out and about, they might as well add a little errand to their schedule.

“Wait,” Drayce said as he and Blayke headed toward an empty carriage. “We need to head to the market place and get some more Ariadne Threads. For just in case something like yesterday happens again.”

Blayke looked mildly annoyed, obviously feeling fussy and just wanted to get Drayce somewhere he deemed safe. Yet, he also saw merit in the minor detour. “Fine. I’ll go in,” he said as he pushed Drayce to the carriage door. “You stay here with the carriage. You’re still too pale looking.”

“Ah, I’m fine,” Drayce instinctively replied as he took his seat on one side of the carriage. “I’m feeling better than I did this morning, I promise.”

Blayke didn’t verbally reply to that, however the look he gave him spoke volumes. It was a look that Drayce had seen multiple times in his life. A look that stated that while he didn’t feel like arguing, he believed that he was right. And would argue if he had to.

And, honestly, Drayce didn’t feel like getting into a sparring match with the other. Besides, Blayke would feel better if he could just be all protective and such.

“Alright, you worry-wart, I’ll stay put,” Drayce relented as he settled into his seat.

Blayke soon directed the driver toward the market area of the city before he climbed in himself. He promptly sat on the other side of the carriage. The carriage soon moved into motion and as they rumbled along the stone-cobbled streets, Drayce reached into the pocket of his trousers to pull out some money. 

He thankfully had the habit of keeping a few en in his pockets for such occasions. In addition to the money for the carriage ride, of course.

The carriage soon pulled up toward the entrance of the market place. And Blayke once again gave him a stern look.

“I’ll be right back,” he said.

Drayce stifled a chuckle. If he didn’t know his best friend as well as he did, that could have been taken as a threat. “And I’ll be right here,” he promised as he handed him the money necessary.

As Blayke slipped out of the carriage, pausing only a moment to tell the driver to wait for him, Drayce leaned his head back against the head support of his seat. He heard the door of the carriage close and the sound of footsteps outside.

After that, he began to idly listen to the incoherent murmurings of voices of others going about their business outside. The noise was comforting in a way, and yet it also agitated his headache. 

Man…whatever that harbinger used on him last night was potent. He also couldn’t help but feel that he had done something similar to that a few times before. The chloroform or whatever it was he used was far too potent to have been done once or twice. It was crafted to perfection. Not only did it render a person unconscious almost immediately, it reduced them to near-complete helplessness for hours afterwards.

Seriously, he had to make sure no one else came into contact with that…toxin.

Drayce was confused when he heard the door swing open and felt the weight of the carriage shift not long after Blayke had left. He was even more confused when the weight seemed to be leaning toward the other door. 

He lifted his head up and opened his eyes. “Hm? You’re back early-”

However, instead of appearance of Blayke greeting him, there was another. Someone he could have done without seeing ever again. Long brown hair, an eye-patched, dressed in the garbs of a dragoon.

“Well, if it isn’t the Pretty Boy Treasure Hunter.”

Drayce reacted by slamming his back against his seat in an attempt to get away from the other man. “You…”

“It must be my lucky day,” Keane grinned as he lounged all-too comfortably in the carriage seat across from him.

“Pity I can’t say the same,” Drayce bit out before he had a chance to consider his actions.

“Now, that’s just mean, don’t you think?” Keane all but cooed at him.

“You would know a lot about that, am I right?” Drayce returned swiftly. “Like those two bandits of yours that followed me in the labyrinth the other day. And broke into my guildhouse.”

Keane gave a short, sharp laugh. “My, are you bitter about that?”

“Exceptionally so.” Drayce mustered up a glare, though he wasn’t entirely sure how…effective it was with him still combating the side-effects of whatever it was that was used against him last night. “There was no need to take a guildmate hostage.”

“The method is inconsequential when the end result is the desired one,” Keane responded and literally waved his hand dismissively. He soon dropped his hand to his knee casually as he leaned forward slightly, only to stare straight into Drayce’s eyes. “Besides, that's what you get for trying to deceive me.”

Drayce gritted his teeth. So, what happened last night was in response to the switching of the tokens. “…What do you want?”

Keane tapped his cheek in a mocking attempt to appear contemplative. “Oh, where should I start? Maybe I should start with you.” 

He then suddenly reached forward to snared a hold of Drayce’s chin. But his grip was cold, harsh, and the first thing that raced through Drayce’s mind that it was nothing like the tender touch of Zohar’s hand. 

So, he reacted by immediately slapping the hand away.

“Don’t touch me.”

Far from angry or even agitated, Keane actually looked sadistically delighted by his reaction. “A feisty one, hmm~”

Feisty? Probably not. Disgusted? Definitely. 

“Why are you after the lotuses?” he demanded.

Keane tilted his head to the side. “Hmm? Well now, I don’t give information away for free. You need to pay the fee first.”

Yeah, he had figured as much. Bandits wouldn’t do anything without a price. “Then forget it. I’ll find out on my own.”

“Oh, so cruel,” Keane mockingly purred. “I would have told you for a kiss.”

Drayce instantly felt queasy at the prospect. The clenching of the stomach type of nausea. It was…something he had never really experienced before. It was unsettling. “I’m even more determined to do it on my own now,” he managed to bite out.

Keane laughed. Not a joyful laugh by any stretch of the imagination. It was mocking, almost spiteful. A twisted grin appeared on his lips as he rested an arm on his knee and leaned forward. “But you’re not on your own, are you?”

Drayce didn’t respond. He couldn’t. Even as Keane stood up to lean over him, planting a hand against the wall of the carriage behind him, causing Drayce subconsciously sunk into his seat in a futile attempt to put some distance between them.

“You have others to worry about,” Keane continued. “Weaknesses.”

Drayce gritted his teeth. “Get out.”

“Since you asked so nicely,” Keane smirked, knowing full well that he hit a nerve. “Before that, listen carefully;”

Keane unexpectedly lashed out and pressed his hand against Drayce’s throat. His fingers wrapped around his neck as he pushed him back harshly into the seat behind him. Drayce’s hands immediately flew up to grasp at Keane’s wrists and he clenched his jaw painfully as he peered at him through one eye. That nausea returned when Keane moved his face toward his, that obnoxious and yet still menacing smirk on his lips.

“If you don’t want others to get hurt, you’ll hand over the map.” 

Drayce squeezed his eyes shut when he realised that he couldn’t breathe properly. Mercifully, Keane released his grip on his throat and Drayce began to cough harshly as he held his neck with his hands.

The carriage shifted to the side as Keane thankfully stepped out into the street. 

“I’ll be seeing you later then,” he said, that arrogant smirk of his in place before he slammed the carriage door shut.

Drayce starred through the small glass window as Keane walked away, toward some back alley located near the markets. His back was straight, his posture relaxed and somehow incredibly smug. He definitely looked pleased with him.

The door located on the other side of the carriage opened and as the weight shifted to indicated that someone else had entered, Drayce snapped his head around. Half expecting to see another bandit.

Thankfully, it was Blayke. And Drayce uttered a sigh of relief as he continued to rub his neck.

As Blayke took a seat, he turned to face him. His mouth was open, no doubt ready to tell Drayce that he had gotten the Ariadne Threads. But he stilled, and his brow soon furrowed deeply. “What? What happened?” he practically demanded.

“Let’s…just head to the Crescentia,” Drayce managed to utter, though his voice was surprisingly hoarse.

Blayke was having none of his dismissiveness, however. “What happened?” he actually demanded.

Drayce sighed as he rubbed his forehead. He was already anticipating yet more fussing when he returned to the Crescentia. “Keane just paid me a visit.”

“What?!” 

The volume of Blayke’s voice did little to help with Drayce’s headache.

“He didn’t do anything,” Drayce replied, though that was a bold-face lie. And Blayke probably knew it from the paleness of his face in contrast to his throat. There was likely to be a handprint there, too. “But he’s after the lotuses all right. Why, I don’t know. Let’s…just go home.”

Blayke, of course, wanted to know more. Every little detail. But Drayce found himself becoming lost to his own thoughts. Especially in regards to that not-so subtle threat of Keane’s. He wanted the map. And he expected Drayce to just hand it over. Yet, that threat…he was going to force him into giving up the map, wasn’t he?

He didn’t know why Keane was after the tokens, or the lotuses, but he couldn’t allow that lowly bandit to get his hands on such treasures. But he…also couldn’t allow Keane to hurt anyone. Especially not someone from his guild.

A material treasure wasn’t worth that of a living being. His grandfather would always say that. But that Dark Blade. Someone like Keane shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near it.

…What should he do?


	14. Chapter 14

With his shield already resting reassuringly upon his back, Drayce took a moment to examine his cannon and ensured that everything was in working order. He had cleaned it the night before out of the need to do something constructive. But needed to double check to settle his own mind. The last thing he wanted in a situation was for his own weapon deciding not to work.

The monsters of the labyrinth weren’t their only adversaries, after all.

And he felt Ashton’s gaze on him the entire time.

“You up for a trek in the labyrinth?” he finally asked, seemingly unable to hold back his fussing for a second longer.

“Yeah, really,” Drayce immediately replied as he holstered his cannon and turned to the oh-so dedicated care-taker. “I’m fine now. Fio says that whatever they used on me is no longer in my system.”

“I did say that, but you still need to be careful,” Fiorello added as he idly patted his medical knapsack. “If you get hit with it again, you’ll go down extra hard.”

“Then I’ll make sure not to get hit again,” he promised. But it did little to ease the concerns of the others. 

Drayce understood everyone’s concern. But he also understood that time, and bandits, were not on their side. Besides, if it was him that was somehow compromised, then that was fine. As long as no one else of his guild was.

Speaking of his guild, everyone had gathered into the seating room as Drayce readied himself for an excursion into the labyrinth. Though they didn’t say anything, he could see the worry in their gazes. 

“Listen, I understand everyone’s concern about me, but now isn’t the time to worry,” he stated, directing his words toward everyone of his guild. “We need to find those lotus blades before those bandits do. I don’t know why they’re after them, but I do know we can’t afford to let someone like Keane near the Cursed Blade.”

He could say that the situation was serious. If the blade worked alongside the Despot and aided in his conquest of the labyrinth, then it was dangerous. Too dangerous to fall into idle, or worst, malicious hands.

“He’s right,” Shashi uttered, breaking the silence. “And if anyone is to find these lotuses, it will be the grandson of Roux.”

The frown that tugged at Ashton’s lips indicated that he wanted to argue, but saw the truth in their words nevertheless. “Fine,” he finally relented, but not before giving Drayce a very pointed look. “Just don’t try to handle anything by yourself.”

“…I won’t,” Drayce found himself unexpectedly hesitating for a moment. But he hoped that the delay wasn’t entirely noticeable. 

He just…couldn’t help but allow his mind wander back to what Keane said to him yesterday. The threat he left hanging over him.

“Unfortunately, you might have to, this time,” Shashi suddenly stated.

Drayce blinked, pulled suddenly from his thoughts. He then turned to face Shashi’s direction and gave him a slightly confused look. “Huh?”

Shashi walked over to him as he reached his hand into his pocket of his coat. He then pulled out an old, bronze compass. Yet, it had a few crystals and no doubt celestian’s symbols engraved upon the fading metal. 

“Take this,” he said as he presented the compass to him, to which Drayce instinctively took in his hand. “This will allow you to detect mana. Unfortunately, it will only work once. Mana detection is a refined skill that only celestians can use, and not without teachings since birth. It will lead you to a source of mana just once before it loses its power. It will take time for me to infuse it with that ability again. Just hope that it leads you to the token and not to another source of mana.”

“This…is amazing,” Drayce murmured as he stared down at the compass. 

An understatement, really! It was unlikely to be as accurate or refined as the skills that Kamali and Zohar possessed. But it was something. An advantage. And it prevented anyone else from getting close to those bandits.

It was perfect. Good ol’ Shashi. 

“Thank you, Shashi.”

Shashi granted him a small smile. “Both Kamali and Zohar had detected a token before, so it is likely those bandits will keep a close eye on them. An earthlain like you having the ability to discover the token on your own might give you the edge you need.”

“You are brilliant, Shashi,” Drayce continued with a grin as he placed the compass in his breast pocket, ensuring to keep it safe but close at hand. “I really owe you for this.”

“Even so, be careful,” Shashi cautioned as he looked directly into Drayce’s eyes. “You say that no one’s life is worth a treasure. And that includes you.”

Scholars sure were observant, huh?

“Of course,” Drayce pacified. “Keep a close eye on the map, nevertheless, yeah?”

… … … … … 

“There you are,” a voice that was both familiar and becoming increasingly annoyed chirped mockingly happily from somewhere within the foliage of the labyrinth. “We’ve been waiting for you~”

Drayce uttered a sigh aloud. “We had figured as much,” he said simply as he lifted his head and immediately narrowed in on a smirking Keita and a partly hidden Runihura. 

He wasn’t all that surprised to see either of them, however. He just figured they would wait just a little bit longer to make their…entrance, as it were. They’ve only been in the labyrinth less than ten minutes.

“So,” Fiorello said slowly, the tone of his voice surprisingly bitter and accusatory. “You’re the one responsible for that sleep potion, hm? Or, perhaps, a botanist is also involved?”

Runihura twitched. No, it was more of a wince.

“Hmm…” Fiorello must have noticed the wince, too, as his eyes narrowed. “They may be good with poisons, yet still a novice with the bandaging.”

Bandages? Oh…Fiorello was observant. And right. There were multiple bandages covering Runihura’s arms and legs. And likely more under the think leather that he wore. He certainly didn’t have those the last time they met in the labyrinth. Had they attempted to search for another token on their own only to encounter trouble?

“H-hey, are you all right?” Drayce found himself asking before he had the chance to second guess himself.

Runihura lifted his gaze sharply to send him a lot of utter…confusion. He didn’t say anything, though there was definitely a questioning expression in his eyes. 

“You’re injured,” Drayce said dumbly as he indicated to the myriad of white bandages peeking out from behind his dark leather.

“It’s…Nothing of your concern,” Runihura uttered as he swiftly looked away, keeping his eyes away from him.

Drayce simply looked sympathetically at the harbinger. He couldn’t help but wonder if those injuries were because of someone else?

A soft pressure on the small of his back prompted Drayce to instinctively turn his head to the side slightly in Zohar’s direction. And like previously, the necromancer leaned down to whisper to him.

“Kamali and I can sense mana close by,” he explained. “To the path on the right.”

Drayce resisted the urge to immediately look in the direction indicated and chose to simply nod his head. “Right.”

As Zohar leaned back, his hand still reassuringly against his back, Drayce turned to regard the two bandits once more. Their postures were similar to their second meeting in the labyrinth. The posture, the expectation; it was almost identical. 

They were anticipating their next move. And hopefully, they were focused in on either Zohar or Kamali. Well, not so much focused on them because of sheer protectiveness. But with Drayce making a move, and not anyone else, may give them some advantage. 

Still…Drayce was still unsettled by his one-sided confrontation with Keane yesterday. Keane was willing to do anything to get the tokens. The short hostage situation and the break-in at the Crescentia was testament to that. And he was worried to what lengths Keane would go to to get this third token.

A thought suddenly occurred to him as he stared at Keita and Runihura. They were both working for Keane. Along with two others; Bronson, the hard-headed pugilist. And Tomlin, the short, deep-voiced necromancer.

Why weren’t they using Tomlin’s mana detect skill to find the tokens on their own? Why go to the trouble and hassle of waiting for Drayce and his guild to find the tokens first?

There had to be a catch regarding the tokens that Drayce didn’t know about or hadn’t considered. Could they indeed be powered by someone’s intention like Ramus had suggested? Would they only allow themselves to be discovered by someone who know of the Turquoise Lotus Father?

Before Drayce could ponder and muse any further, there was the sound of the rustling of leaves. And the scurrying of many feet on the ground. It was loud, however. Very loud.

The noise was threatening. And familiar.

A moment later, from a narrow path, bursting out in a flurry of leaves and twigs, appeared a large and blue centipede. 

“Not another Toxipede!” Drayce called out in alarm.

Great, that was the last thing they needed!

“It’s simply guarding its territory,” Zohar was surprisingly calm, even as the far too large centipede flared its head in their direction and angrily snapped its pincers in an all too threatening manner.

“Whatever its doing, don’t fight it!” Blayke was the one to order allowed.

Zohar nodded his head as the familiar chill promptly followed. A split second later, a familiar white ghost appeared before him. “Theodore and his kin will distract it. Fiorello, Kamali, stay hidden for now.”

“Understood,” Kamali said simply as he stayed back with Fiorello.

“Aw, shit. Looks like you guys need to find that token quickly, huh?” Keita was the one who pointed out that unfortunate fact.

…They didn’t anticipate the Toxipede barging in, did they? 

No. They appeared as surprised as they were when the tall blue centipede trundled into view and started snapping its pincers at them.

“Drayce, go!” Blayke suddenly called out to him as he moved to intercept Keita from following. “I’ll handle the brat!

Keita hesitated for a moment, his nose scrunched up in annoyance as he studied Blayke carefully. He no doubt took note of how exceptionally irritated Blayke was. He then looked utterly confused when it finally set in who was to go in search of the token. “Wait, he’s going by himself?” 

So, they had anticipated following either Zohar or Kamali. 

“I don’t know what they’re planning, but don’t screw up this time, Runi~!” Keita called out to his partner in crime.

So, Drayce was left to race against Runihura. Those injuries were sure to be a burden to him, though he certainly had other…skills in his arsenal should he feel the need. Or the desperation. 

Drayce hoped that he didn’t have another dose of that sleep potion stuff he used on him the night before. He didn’t fancy dealing with that kind of tired, bleary aftermath again.

He would not be able to run very fast, or likely very far, with his heavy shield on his back. So, he had to hastily dislodge it, instinctively kicking out the stand so that it stayed upright. If his guild needed something to hide behind, it might be able to offer some help.

Now. Take the path to the right, like Zohar said. And hope that the compass that Shashi gave him would lead him in the right direction.

As Drayce darted down the right path, with Runihura close on his heels, he reached into his jacket pocket to whip out the compass. He quickly glanced down at the magically infused compass and noticed that the crystals had a luminous glow. And the needle was pointing forward. And it wasn’t pointing north. He was fairly good with directions.

It was working. It was pointing in the direction of a source of mana.

Now, he hoped that it was pointing to the lotus token!

As he entered a small clearing that was surrounding in the crystal-clear pools of water, the needle swung wildly to the left. Toward a corner of the clearing. Where a lush patch of powers grew abundantly.

There. That must be the location.

Drayce sharply darted to the left and reached the patches of flowers, summoned a Decoy Shield directly in front of him and promptly swung his cannon around to rest the muzzle atop of the shield. His other hand instinctively searching through the flowery undergrowth for a few agonising seconds. When, finally, he felt something metallic.

He glanced briefly and was greeted by the sight of a small silver coin-shaped object. And within the centre, under a bit of dirt and moss, was the engraving of a lotus.

He actually found it!

“Whew, got it,” he murmured around a sigh of relief.

“No!”

Upon the pained scream, Drayce naturally shot his head up and looked in the direction of the voice. He was surprised to realise that the shout, no scream, seemed to have originated from Runihura.

A breath hitched in his throat when he realised that on the harbinger’s pale face was an expression of desperation. And absolute terror. 

“…What?”

“P-Please, I need that treasure! I was sent to find it, if I return without it again-!” he abruptly cut himself off mid-sentence. And, honestly, he didn’t need to finish. Drayce understood the insinuation. What was left unsaid.

Runihura tried to take a step forward, only to collapse pitifully onto the ground. His head hung lowly as he used his forearms in a desperate attempt to push himself to his feet. Surrender. Fear. Pain. That was in his posture.

Those injuries weren’t an accident. Weren’t born from carelessness.

Someone inflicted those upon him.

Drayce dropped his cannon to his side as he dismissed the Decoy Shield. He grasped the token in his hand as he looked at the harbinger before him. He felt nothing but sympathy for the guy. Sure, he had stolen from them. Broke into his guildhouse and attacked him.

But those injuries, and his words…

Drayce silently pushed himself to his feet and walked slowly over to Runihura. He crouched down in front of him and held out his hand. The hand that held the token. “Here, take it.”

Runihura immediately snapped his head up to look at him. And it was then that Drayce realised that he had tears in his eyes. And down his far too pale cheeks. “Huh?”

“Look, I don’t know why you’re so desperate, but I know you’re being honest,” Drayce said as he unfurled his hand to reveal the token. “You’re fighting for someone, aren’t you?”

A sharp intake of air from Runihura was the only answer he got. And it was enough.

“You know the Crescentia. You know how to get in. Take that person there. They’ll be safe there. I promise.”

Runihura stared at him with wide pink eyes. Unblinking. Disbelief on his face. His face suddenly crumbled as tears fogged within his eyes. He looked to the side, as if ashamed before he shakily raised a hand. And retrieved the token from him. 

“…Thank you,” he uttered softly before he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Drayce could only look on with worry as Runihura shuffled awkwardly toward the foliage of the labyrinth, relying heavily upon his scythe to act as a walking aid.

The sound of rustling leaves caused Drayce to lift his gaze toward the canopy of the forest. And his gaze collided with that of none other than Keita. Drayce felt himself tense in annoyance. Yet…he was somewhat curious.

Keita didn’t wear his usual carefree if a bit arrogant expression. He looked genuinely confused, if a bit agitated as well. “You…” he uttered yet trailed off quickly as he continued to simply look at Drayce.

“What?” 

“…You’re far too soft, you know that?” Keita finally muttered, his brow furrowed and a frown on his lips. He actually looked as though he simply could not comprehend something. Likely him as a person.

He soon smiled, however. That mockingly playful and conceited smile. “That will be easy to take advantage of, though~” he practically cooed before he jumped off the branch he stood upon and disappeared in the direction that Runihura did only moments ago.

Drayce felt his hand clenched against his side. Take advantage of him, huh?

…Kindness was not a weakness. Nor was it something to be exploited. 

Never mind that for now. He needed to check in on the others. He trusted them to keep themselves out of danger. And…he did feel a sense of guilt that he had given up the token in spite of the trouble they went through to get it. But they were sure to understand, right? 

Shashi was sure to be keeping a close eye on the map regardless of whether they had retrieved the token.

He just needed to think of a way to get the tokens back from Keane before he found the Cursed Blade himself.

Grasping his cannon tightly, Drayce moved quickly as he retraced his steps. He couldn’t hear the familiar sounds of battling. And while he was still worried, he didn’t feel that intense sense of dread. Something told him that his guildmates were just fine.

They were smart and they were resilient. 

Of course they were fine!

“Drayce!”

Even so, Drayce still uttered a small sigh of relief when he heard Blayke’s voice. There was no panic. Just a bit of annoyance. Nothing unusual, really.

“Is everyone all right?” he asked the second everyone of his party gathered in a small clearing.

“We’re fine,” Blayke answered, and Drayce could see that was indeed very true. No marks on his armour, yet alone any injuries. “The bastard decided that it didn’t want to play anymore and wandered off. What happened with you?”

“It’s…they got the token.” Best leave it to that for now. He’ll explain it to everyone in the…relatively safety of the Crescentia.

“Damn it,” Blayke immediate cussed, looking frustrated. 

“All is not lost,” Zohar interjected calmly. “Shashi is sure to be keeping a close eye on the map. He would have witnessed something of note, surely.”

If anything occurred on that map, Shashi was sure to have witnessed it. And swiftly documented anything and everything that was revealed. So, the best thing they could do for now was to return home and see what had happened in their absence. 

“Right. Let’s head home for now,” Drayce ordered as he pulled out an Ariadne Thread and quickly activated.

As he and his guildmates were enveloped in the white light, Drayce silently hoped that he had done the right thing.

And he hoped that Runihura was going to be all right.


	15. chapter 15

Their return to the Crescentia seemed to have been an anticipated one. When they stepped inside, the other members of their guild met them all in the foyer. And they were promptly bombarded with questions regarding their well-beings, whether or no they met with those bandits again, or just general queries about Drayce’s health.

Drayce did his best to reassure his guildmates by answering their questions honestly.

After he manages to alleviate everyone’s worries, Shashi stepped forward to regard him.

“How did you fare?” he asked.

Drayce uttered a small sigh. “They got the token.” He would explain the entire circumstance of what happened later. After everyone settled down.

A frown tugged at Shashi’s lips. Though, he did look mildly confused for a split second. “I see.” 

“The compass you gave me worked a treat, though,” Drayce added as he reached into his pocket to reveal the golden compass and presented it back to the sigil specialist. “So that’s something.”

Shashi nodded his head, clearly pleased. “I shall try to work on it further,” he said as he retrieved the compass and promptly placed it into the pocket of his coat.

“Ignoring that for just a moment, I take it the map activated?”

Again, Shashi nodded his head. “Indeed. The reaction was, however, different this time around. It lasted far longer than we had anticipated. We were able to gather more information.”

“Really?” Drayce couldn’t help but wonder why that was. “Well, that’s great.”

“Come,” Shashi motioned toward the stairs. “I’ll explain along the way.”

Dropping his shield and cannon by the front doors, Drayce moved to follow Shashi up the stairs. 

“It seems that we were correct,” Shashi began, getting straight to the point. “There were three blades involved. The Shining Lotus, which was created by and belonged to the Turquoise Lotus Father. The other two, however, are a little more mysterious. The Blood Lotus Brother, as he referred to himself, was indeed under the influence of a Cursed Blade, and that blade was indeed connected to the Despot. As of right now, we do not know if that blade held a name or was simply referred to as Cursed Blade as well. However, another was jealous of the powers that both the Shining Lotus and Cursed Blade possessed. So, the currently unknown fourth party stole the original cursed blade and attempted to combine it with the Shining Lotus. But that failed miserably. So, they created a blade of their own.”

Drayce nodded his head as they reached the second-floor landing and took a moment to allow all the information to filter in. “So there really were three blades. Do we need to look for the other one, too?”

Shashi, however, shook his head. “There was three, but now there’s only two. The creator of this replica blade believed it had the capacity to be far more powerful than the Shining Lotus, and yet they desired even more power. In order to garner yet more strength, they combined that with the Cursed Blade.”

Drayce couldn’t help but wince as they moved to the third floor. “I can kinda guess where this is going...”

“Indeed,” Shashi continued. “By sacrificing the replica blade with the Cursed Blade, it made said blade even stronger. And more dangerous as it has the ability to not only possess the one wielding it, like it had done with Blood Lotus Brother. But it would actively inflict vile toxic curses upon anyone who came into contact with said blade. Fending off attacks with weaponry or armour would still cause infection.”

Wow, ok, he hadn’t expected something like that!

That fourth therian (most likely) must have been quite…powerful to not only get their hands on the Cursed Blade, but created their own and then fused it with the already very dangerous Cursed Blade.

Clearly, whoever they were, they were exceedingly powerful in their own right.

Which also raised the question of how the Blade Brothers were able to retrieve and then hide the Cursed Blade, along with the Shining Lotus.

That was something that may be worked out later. For now, he needed to concentrate on the fact that the blades were indeed hidden. And a group of bandits were after them.

“No wonder they hid it so,” Drayce murmured as he finally reached the third floor and they both stopped by the library doors. “But that still leads to the question of which blade the map and tokens are leading to?”

Shashi shook his head. “That, I cannot answer as of yet.”

Drayce sighed as he roughly ran a hand through his hair. “The wait-and-see method is the best solution for now, though I’m not exactly thrilled with that.”

That didn’t seem to thrill Shashi, either. “No,” he frowned.

As Drayce mused about what he should do next, a peculiar thought occurred to him. “Wait. Does the new and improved Cursed Blade also poison its surroundings? If so, then it’s either hidden in a place where the environment is toxic in reflection to the blade. Or, it’s sealed away so its toxin can’t spread.”

“Hm.” Shashi folded an arm across his chest as he held his chin in thought. “Yes, those are interesting possibilities. Nowhere had I seen it mentioned that it also infected the environment, but I may not be looking in the right places.”

With so many different parties involved, there were a lot of questions. Questions they may not get the answers to since it happened so long ago. And since they were dealing with a weapon that had connections to the Legendary War and the notorious Despot himself, they needed to be careful.

“Along with the watch-and-wait method, we should practice being cautious of everything until told otherwise, too,” Drayce suggested.

Shashi dropped his arms to his sides and nodded his head. “Yes. That’s the best course of action for now.”

The sound of footsteps approaching from the stairs caused both Drayce and Shashi to turn to regard whoever was approaching. Unsurprisingly, it was Ashton who swiftly moved up the stairs and approached them.

“I need to interject here,” he said, indicating that he had overheard their conversation. And was in caretaker mode once again. He likely already checked in on the others. “You all need rest. Facing off against a toxipede, even though not in battle, is tiring for everyone. And I assume there will be another jaunt into the labyrinth tomorrow?”

Heading into the labyrinth again tomorrow might be a bit predictable, but there was little else they could do for the time being. The discovery of the tokens allowed for a glimpse of the map. So even though they don’t physically possess the tokens, they do have the map. Which was a greater advantage.

And yet…Drayce couldn’t help but remember Keane’s threat. He wanted the map. And Drayce didn’t know what he would do to get it…

“Ah, yeah, probably,” Drayce replied, smiling in an attempt to push Keane’s threat and voice from his mind. “One last token to find, I assume.”

“Oh, yes, one more thing,” Shashi suddenly said as he reached into the pocket of his coat. “We’ve locked the map away. It has a celestian seal on it, but you can easily by-pass the lock with this key.” He pulled out a small golden key that was engraved with celestian writing and presented it to him. “Here.”

Oh, good! That meant that Keane couldn’t just sic one of his bandits into the Crescentia to steal the map. 

Although…

Drayce smiled as he retrieved the key and promptly placed it into the pocket of his trousers so he wouldn’t lose it. “Got it. Ok. First, I’ll dump my armour and check in on the others. After that, I’ll be in my office if you need me.” He turned to move back down the stairs, idly shrugging off his coat as he did so. “Be sure to call me for dinner!”

“Speaking of which; any one seen Tokala or Salim?” Ashton suddenly questioned.

Drayce immediately paused mid-way down the stairs. “No? Did they head out?”

“Perhaps they wished to see more of Iorys,” Shashi was the one to suggest. “They’re not required to stay here.”

“Hmm, that’s true,” Drayce simply replied before he turned to move down the stairs once more.

Still, he felt as if he should check on them. If they didn’t return before dinner, he’d grab Blayke and Nashoba, and go searching. Just to be on the safe side.

… … … … …

Dressed comfortably in his cargo pants and plain black sleeveless shirt, Drayce leaned back into his office chair and propped a boot on the edge of his desk. After he figured out where he had located the third token, he took a few moments to simply study his hand-drawn map.

As he looked at the map, he was beginning to wonder if there were only three tokens and not the four like he previously assumed. One to indicate each therian that was involved. The Blade Brothers and their friend, Sorataki. Which made some sense as well. In his head, it did.

Which could potentially explain the desperation, or rather ruthlessness, shown by those bandits. 

Even so, they should return to the labyrinth in search for a possible fourth token. Or in search for something else that could be of use to them. Another music box. Some information. Even a rune stone hidden somewhere within the undergrowth and vegetation. Something. 

Drayce leaned further into his chair as he stared up at the ceiling. 

He also needed to find a way to deal with those bandits. He wouldn’t be able put it off for much longer. But he wasn’t sure what he could do. Dealing with bandits wasn’t something he had done before in his life. From what he could remember. But, yeah, what was he supposed to do?

And then there was that oh-so subtle threat from Keane.

That was still bothering him.

Keane was planning something. Drayce just wished he knew what it was so that could potentially plan a counter, either in defence or attack.

A high-pitched crack pulled Drayce from his thoughts, and he immediately turned his head toward the large windows of his office.

What was that noise?

It sounded as if someone had thrown a pebble at his window. Odd. 

Drayce placed his map onto his desk as he pushed himself out of his chair. He stood up and walked to his window. He pulled open the curtains and opened the glass windowpanes. He rested his hands upon the sill as he leaned out and looked around.

The view from his office window was a side street that led to the main street, which ultimately led to the pathway to Yggdrasil. On that street was a single horse-drawn wagon that was illuminated by a single street light.

A couple of figures suddenly appeared from behind the wagon. As they stepped into the light, Drayce immediately recognised them. One was Tokala. And the other was Keane himself.

His breath hitched in his voice when he realised that Tokala was ruthlessly tied and gagged, and that Keane was smiling confidently as he roughly handled the skinny therian. 

“That’s-!”

Keane suddenly brought a finger to his smirking lips, indicating for Drayce to stay silent as he levelled his gun at Tokala’s head with his other hand. Tokala’s eyes widen, and even from the distance between them, Drayce could see that his eyes were red and puffy. From crying. A lot. 

Drayce clenched his jaw. He knew what Keane wanted.

…The map. He wanted the map.

He…hng, he couldn’t risk Tokala’s life for a treasure map!

Drayce levelled his gaze with Keane, his stomach twisting from that disgustingly smug smirk on his lips. Instead of saying anything, Drayce simply nodded his head. And tried not to clench his jaw further when Keane practically blew his kiss at him.

That…smug bastard!

He must have been planning something like this from the beginning.

Turning from the window, Drayce tried to calm himself down as he stepped out of his office. He plunged his hand into his pocket and clasped his hand around the golden key that Shashi had presented to him just a couple of hours ago.

He…hadn’t anticipated in using it in such a way.

The guildhouse was quiet. Everyone seemed to be busy elsewhere. Or at least resting in their rooms. Even Shashi, surprisingly. The library was empty. Lucky for him. Though, also unlucky…no one would know what happened to him, would they?

It was probably for the best.

On the table in the middle of the room, surrounded with crystals and documents, was a hastily made showcase made of glass. The map rested by itself. Blank and still. 

Drayce stood before the map and took a moment to stare down at the hand that rested in his hand. He then used the key, placing it in the centre of a small engraved magic circle. And opened it.

Placing his key to the side, he carefully took the map into his hands. He…He hoped the Blade Brothers and their companion could forgive him. But he just couldn’t risk anyone else’s safety. Anyone else’s life.

His…guild and his friends were more important to him.

He would find a way to keep everyone safe. Including the blades themselves. 

After uttering another apology in his head, he turned his back on the case and hurried out of the library. He moved quietly down the stairs, his heart pounding in his ears. He could only repeat “please don’t let anyone try to stop him” in his head. He didn’t want to worry them. He didn’t want to involve them.

Please, just…let him do this. He would find a way to make things up to everyone later. He promised that.

Thankfully, everyone seemed busy elsewhere. Or were just momentarily distracted as he had made his way to the ground floor easily. He chose the use the back door, however, as it would allow him quicker access to the side street. Where Keane was holding Tokala.

As he slipped outside and broke out into a jog, he couldn’t help but ask himself where in the world could Salim be? He would never willingly leave Tokala’s side. He was extremely dedicated in protecting him. So…something must have happened to him. He…

“Don’t go…”

A soft, unfamiliar voice pulled Drayce from his thoughts and caused him to immediately stop mid-step. He turned in the direction he estimated the voice resonated from. “Huh?” he uttered involuntarily when his gaze fell upon a young brounii with blond hair and green eyes. He was half hidden behind a large tree found in the back garden, peering around it at him in a frightened and skittish manner. “You-?”

“I-It’s a trap,” the brounii stuttered, his voice low. And frightened. 

“…I know,” Drayce said as he took a step toward the other, purposely moving slowly so not to alarm him. He wasn’t a threat, so shouldn’t be treated as one. “Did…Runihura bring you here?”

The brounii’s bottom lip trembled and tears pooled in his eyes. “H-he’s…”

Drayce’s stomach clenched and he felt a wave of nausea. “I see.” So, his injuries were a form of punishment. “Go inside. You’ll be safe there.”

The brounii shook his head as he grasped the bark of the tree with his hands. “I-I’m scared,” he admitted, trembling.

Yes, Drayce could clearly see that. “I know. But they won’t hurt you. Tell them everything, ok? And tell them…” that he was sorry. That he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. To understand why he did what he did. “…I’ll be waiting.”

Yeah. He couldn’t tell them not to come looking for him. They would. Blayke would. He’d lead the charge. And likely give him an earful afterwards. He could only hope…no one got hurt while looking for him.

Drayce turned and hurried toward the side street once more. He anticipating having to clamber over the tall iron fence that encircled the Crescentia. However, there was an opening within the fencing. Allowing for him to slip out easily. The opening didn’t appear new. It had likely been there for years, he just didn’t see it before. 

In all honesty, he hadn’t really inspected the structure of the boundary walls. Never had a reason to.

As he stepped out into the street, he immediately noticed that Bronson and Tomlin had decided to join Keane. Bronson had a hold on Tokala while Tomlin simply sat on the back of the wagon, idly swinging his legs in a casual manner. Far too casual for a hostage situation.

Though, it also indicated that it wasn’t a first for him.

Keane immediately glanced over Drayce’s shoulder as he approached, his grip tightening on his gun. However, he smirked when he realised that there was no one else to be found. And that no one else was going to come. “Ah, good. You’ve come alone. As sensible as you are pretty.”

Drayce sent him a glare. He was so patronizing. 

Keane sent him another self-satisfied smirk. “The map?”

“It’s here,” Drayce said as he revealed the map. 

He knew that he should bargain for it, but he also knew that he was in no situation to do so. Tokala was still under threat and the fact that Salim was nowhere in sight was greatly troubling. Something must have happened to him. And that something was likely because of Keane himself.

“Give it to me,” Keane ordered. 

And knowing that he had little choice, Drayce offered it to him. Of which, was quickly snatched out of his hand. 

Keane immediately looked at the map and a purely disgruntled expression appeared on his face. “A blank parchment, huh?” he muttered as he reached for his cannon.

“There’s mana there,” Drayce promptly explained, not wanting Keane to do something rash. “Keeping the words hidden.”

For the longest moment, Keane just stared at him. Gauging whether or not he was being truthful. Thankfully, and honestly a little unexpectedly, he seemed to believe him as he turned back to study the map. “Ah, is that so? Which explains the tokens.”

“You’ve got the map now, so let Tokala go,” Drayce demanded.

Keane, however, chuckled as he idly rolled up the parchment and shoved it into the breast pocket of his coat. “Oh no, this isn’t how things work around here. We need him. And we need you, too.” The smirk that appeared on his lips was wicked. “Tomlin.”

“Right,” Tomlin smirked as he stepped forward. “No interruptions this time.”

Drayce suddenly felt that cold chill down his spine he felt each time Theodore was summoned. And yet…it was different. Very different. It was far colder. Brutally cold. It made him physically shiver and feel as though he had something, some kind of…entity breathing down the back of his neck.

That cold presence suddenly appeared behind him. And Drayce immediately turned his head to look over his shoulder. What he saw, however, was a bit surprising.

…A tree?

No, it was a wraith in the form of an animated tree. About as tall as Drayce was, with two long flailing arms, and engravings within the gangrene bark that likely represented its face…somehow.

It’s two spindly arms suddenly lashed out and snared Drayce’s wrists easily in its grubby little hands. And immediately pinned them behind his back. The way that it moved so quickly, knowing exactly what to do indicated that Tomlin had summoned the wraith to restrain others multiple times before. 

“H-hey!” Drayce stuttered out, startled.

Keane suddenly reached forward and forced his hand over Drayce’s mouth. “Keep that pretty little voice of yours down,” he hissed as his eye darted toward the building behind them. “Can’t having interreference.”

Drayce felt utterly useless as Keane pulled out a handkerchief or some piece of cloth from his pocket. And promptly tied it over Drayce’s mouth and around his head. Keane then moved behind him and quickly, but efficiently it felt, tied his wrists together. Drayce winced at how tight and coarse the ropes were.

With Drayce effectively unable to fight back, only fruitlessly struggle, Keane grabbed Drayce roughly by the arm as he motioned with his head toward Tokala. Bronson understood the silent command and swiftly picked Tokala off of his feet and hooked him under his arm as he carried him to the horse drawn covered wagon that was located near-by.

He then all but threw Tokala into the back.

And when Keane dragged Drayce over to him, he wrapped a beefy arm around him and promptly did the same. Drayce hit the floor of the wooden wagon hard. He winced from the pain and lifted his head just in time to watch Keane promptly pull the thick material curtains over the back. Successfully hiding them from view and prying eyes.

As the wagon began to move, Drayce rolled over onto his side and tugged as the binds around his wrists. But the ropes were coarse and strong. Struggling further would only cause injuries to his wrists. He couldn’t afford to do that. Not when he had no idea what Keane was planning to do with him and Tokala.

With the jostling of the wagon in movement, it somehow loosened Drayce’s gag. He hastily rubbed his cheek against the floor of the cart to remove the piece of cloth from his mouth completely. He struggled to sit up and scooted over to Tokala. With his hands still tightly bound behind his back, he had to lean over awkwardly and fumbled for a bit to pull at the gag that was silencing Tokala.

“Tokala, talk to me,” Drayce pleaded. “What happened?”

With fresh tears rolling down his cheeks, Tokala managed to sob out; “H-he shot Salim.”

Drayce’s eyes widen. “What?”

“S-shot him to get to me.”

No…

Dammit it, Keane. There was no need to do that!

“Tokala, Salim will be ok,” Drayce attempted to reassure the distressed Therian. “I promise. I bet he’s with the others at the Crescentia right now. Don’t worry.”

Tokala looked up at him with frightened eyes. “Why are they doing this?”

“They’re after the treasure,” was Drayce’s only answer. “Just stay with me and do as I tell you, alright? It’ll be all right.”

…Hopefully…


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, managed to get this chapter done somehow :’D Truth be told, I had this chapter near complete a few days ago and was going to update it earlier, but nooooo I had to get sick and had to go to hospital. Typical. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading!

It was just on dusk as Drayce was mercilessly dragged into the labyrinth. Completely against his will. By none other than Keane himself. The other dragoon kept a firm grip on his arm, finding some kind of sick pleasure in keeping him close to his side. To ensure that Drayce wouldn’t attempt to wrangle himself free.

With Tokala under Bronson’s grip, Drayce wasn’t about to abandon him to escape on his own.

The use of the covered wagon and waiting until dusk was likely an attempt to prevent others from witnessing the scene. But as Drayce was dragged through the tall stone gates that led into the labyrinth, someone else appeared before them. A lone guard.

And a few scattered chickens.

Drayce felt a spike of panic. No, Virgil…

“What’s going on here?” Virgil questioned, utterly confused and concerned.

Keane abruptly raised his cannon toward Virgil. Panicking, Drayce threw himself toward the dragoon, to shove Keane’s arm to the side. Just as he took a shot at Virgil. Thankfully, the shot went wild to the side, away from Virgil, who winced from the sound nevertheless. 

“Virgil, run!” Drayce called out desperately as Keane tightened his grip on his arm and harshly pulled him back toward him.

Virgil, thankfully, understood the seriousness of the situation and slipped away into a narrow path of the labyrinth. And his chickens promptly followed. He probably knew the first floor better than anyone.

“Tch,” Keane uttered in sheer annoyance. “No matter. Our destination is the second floor anyway. That lowly chicken farmer won’t bother us.”

Drayce stumbled as Keane continued to drag him along with him. He had no choice but to follow, but he did throw a desperate glance over his shoulder, hoping that Tomlin and Bronson wouldn’t attempt to go after Virgil also.

Thankfully, the two seemed content in following Keane as he led the way to the second-floor stairs. Which…was an odd route to take. Did he not know about the stair-jump crystals? Or…was he not able to use them for some reason?

The fact that they had ascended the stairs and not encountered anyone else was a small act of mercy in an increasingly worrying situation.

Keane barely paused as they reached the top step and proceeded to roughly drag Drayce further into the labyrinth. Drayce tried his best to make note of his surroundings in hope of learning where they were heading. And they seemed to be heading north-west. Where most of the toxipedes were found.

And that was a little concerning. Keane wasn’t going to drag him pass a toxipede, was he?

Thankfully, Keane led the group to a small clearing where two figures could be seen within the shadows. One perched in a tree nonchalantly. The other…half hidden in the shadows of the foliage. 

“Hah, you got both of them,” Keita greeted cheerfully. “No surprise.”

“Of course, it isn’t,” Keane retorted.

Drayce didn’t give Keita too much attention. His focus was on the figure that was slumped against the base of the tree. “That’s…”

It was Runihura. Smears of blood seen in patches across his pale skin. The previous pure white bandages were dirty and torn. 

He…

“Hm?” Keane murmured. When he noticed that Drayce was blatantly surprised by Runihura’s appearance a smirk made its way to his lips. “Ah, yes. Useless brat.”

An anger that Drayce had never felt before made its way into the centre of his chest and he roughly tugged his arm from Keane’s grip. Just so he could spin around to face him and glare at him. “What did you do?”

Infuriatingly, Keane looked amused by his reaction. “What makes you think I did anything?”

“No one is in such a state without outside interference.”

“You’re so right,” Keane returned and that smirk of his turned somewhat…menacing as he paced over toward Runihura. “This worthless piece of shit is withholding information. Aren’t you? Now be a good boy and spill your guts. Or that will happen literally.”

Runihura didn’t even lift his head to regard the other earthlain as he continued to sit as still as possible against the truck of the tree. He made no attempt to respond either. Just sat there, limply. He…didn’t look as though he was in pain, though the injuries he had; he must have been in immense pain.

But he didn’t want to show it? Or had he just…given up?

From where Drayce stood, he couldn’t see Keane’s face. But he knew, somehow, that the smirk he wore had dissipated into an angry expression. Whatever expression he wore, it was obvious that he was angry. 

“Where’s the little shit?” Keane demanded as he harshly kicked Runihura in the ribs, causing the harbinger to make a strange sound that was a mix of a gasp and a harsh cough. “You better tell me.”

Runihura still made no attempt to verbally respond. He stayed slumped forward, cradling his ribs with his arms and coughed harshly.

Keane made the motion to kick Runihura in the ribs again, but Drayce managed to quickly summon a decoy bunker directly in front of the far too injured harbinger. And Keane ended up kicking that instead. Honestly, Drayce hadn’t summoned a Decoy Shield so quickly before. He didn’t even remember making the conscious decision to summon one. 

The supposed leader of the bandits, however, must be wearing steel-cap boots. As he heard a loud metal clang sound when he struck the shield. 

Keane was genuinely surprised by the shield and he immediately turned around to throw an irritated glance in Drayce’s direction. “What are you trying to do now?” he snapped.

Drayce glared back at him. “Stop it! He’s been through enough already!”

“Coming to his aid, are you?” Keane mockingly asked as he turned around and stalked his way toward him.

“Typical bandit, kicking someone when they’re down,” Drayce stated before he had the chance to re-think his words.

Keane waved a dismissive hand. “I’m simply disciplining him,” he returned, far too nonchalantly as he stood directly in front of Drayce.

While he had the need to take a step back, Drayce held his ground. “Discipline doesn’t involve beating someone half to death.”

Shockingly, Keane barked out a laugh before he slid am arm around Drayce’s back and waist, and unexpectedly tugged him toward him. Drayce uttered a sound of surprise as he crashed into Keane’s chest. He automatically tried to pull away, but Keane’s grip on him was impossibly strong. 

“Oh, it is adorable how innocent you are,” Keane all but cooed at him as he held Drayce firmer against him and moved his face closer to his. “Coming to the aid of the less fortunate. It’s just…adorable.”

A wave of nausea immediately washed over Drayce and he desperately leaned back in a desperate attempt to but some distance between them. “L-let go of me!”

With his other hand, Keane grasped Drayce’s chin tightly, forcing him to become still. “Even when restrained, you’re feisty.” He rubbed his thumb roughly over Drayce’s bottom lip, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut as another feeling of nausea appeared in his stomach. 

“…But I’ll have to have fun with you later,” Keane said as he abruptly released his hold on him. 

Drayce promptly took a few staggering steps backwards. He breathed in a shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself. His heart raced, but it was the painful kind. He…didn’t know what Keane would have done if he didn’t suddenly pull away like that. His touch alone made him feel sick to his stomach.

If he…

“I’ve got work to do,” Keane said and clicked his fingers. “Tomlin.”

“Sure,” Tomlin quickly responded. A wicked grin soon appeared on his lips as he turned in Drayce’s direction. “Can’t have them attempting to wander off.”

A second after the necromancer uttered those words, Drayce felt that unnervingly bitter cold again. Directly behind him once more. He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know that a tree wraith was there. Ready to restrain him once again.

Drayce gritted his teeth when he felt a rough, cold, and callous hand grab his wrists and held him still. “Stop your smirking,” Drayce snapped when Tomlin appeared wholly satisfied with his work. “You just enjoy sicking your pet wraith on others, don’t you?”

“One of life’s little pleasures,” Tomlin promptly returned. Though his eyes were pitch black, Drayce felt that he had run them up and down over him. “It’s…fun watching as others squirm.”

“Hardly my idea of heaven,” Drayce murmured when Tokala was dragged by the wraith tree to stand next to him, ensuring that the two of them stayed still and together.

“Oh, I don’t believe in heaven,” Tomlin replied. Somehow, his eyes seemed to become darker. And the smile that crept onto his lips was nothing short of maniac. “But I promise you, there is a hell. Hell is most definitely real.”

Drayce wasn’t entirely sure how he could respond to that, or even if he should. What Tomlin said was rather…dramatic. Maybe over the top. And yet, that deranged smirk stated otherwise. There was more to him than being part of a comedy duo with Bronson. 

However, there was something else brothering him. He probably shouldn’t ask…

“Hey, quick question; since you can, you know, detect mana and all,” Drayce found himself speaking before he could reconsider. “Why didn’t you go hunting for the tokens yourself? Why leave all the hard work to others?”

A scowl flickered upon Tomlin’s face. It was soon replaced with a look of dismissiveness. “As you said; unnecessary hard work,” he said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and turned to walk away.

No, that wasn’t it at all.

“Or…your mana detect isn’t as refined as other celestians.”

Tomlin immediately spun back around. His dark eyes were wider than before, and his lips were pulled back, exposing sharp white teeth. “What did you just say?!”

Drayce subconsciously took a half step back. He was surprised by the reaction. And by how the temperature around them suddenly dropped.

“Can it,” Keane abruptly snapped, purposely walked through Tomlin’s line of sight. “He’s observant. And right. The only thing you’re good for is restraining captives. Which is fun in of itself.”

Tomlin growled lowly at Drayce, and glared hatefully at him for daring to point out a fault. Yet, he had winced and stopped summoning a wraith immediately when Keane snapped at him. Which meant…Keane either had some hold over Tomlin, and likely Bronson, too. Or was far more powerful than the two.

The latter was more…unsettling.

Tomlin continued to glare at him, so Drayce turned to look away. To look at something else. 

He looked over at Tokala, only to find the therian still silently terrified. And there was little Drayce could do to comfort him. He was likely frightened by what happened with Runihura and how Keane acted toward Drayce himself. And then Tomlin…perhaps it would be best if Drayce kept future comments to himself.

He couldn’t help it, though. The need to know more information was something that treasure hunters were widely known for. Also, more information helped him get a hold of the situation unfolding around them.

It seemed as though Runihura had managed to take that person he cared for to the Crescentia before Keane found out, and that infuriated him. And Tomlin’s mana detect skills were lacking, but his wraith summoning skills were pretty on point.

And Bronson…

“Hey, Muscle-Man,” Drayce called out to the green haired pugilist when he noted that he had a few bandages of his own. Especially around his head. “How’d you get those injuries?”

Despite his intimidating appearance, Bronson regarded Drayce with a confused look. There was a reason why he was with the bandits, but Drayce couldn’t quite figure out what that was. He just felt so…out of place, honestly. 

Then again, so did Runihura and Keita.

“Huh? Oh, that?” he asked before he surprisingly and openly began to explain. “Some guy with green hair punched me. Punched me right in the face. I mean, rude. Said I was trespassing or something.”

Drayce blinked. Green hair? Did he mean Salim?

“Enough,” Keane snapped again. “Bronson, Tomlin; come with me. Keita, keep an eye on them while I do some reconnaissance.”

“You got it, Bossman,” Keita immediately replied, going as far as to give the dragoon a salute.

The wraith stayed in place, grip firm on both Drayce’s and Tokala’s restrained wrists. Tomlin shot him another sharp glare as he moved to follow Keane and Bronson. A part of Drayce felt bad for pointing out a flaw, something he was obviously sore about. However, the majority of him felt justified. With him being held prisoner and all.

When Keane and his little band of bandits were out of sight, Drayce turned to Tokala. “Stay close to me,” he softly ordered, only to get a meek nod from the therian.

He idly tugged at his restraints as he then turned his attention toward Runihura, who somewhat managed to find the energy to sit himself upright against the base of the tree once more.

“H-hey, are you…ok?” Drayce asked. “I mean, despite circumstances?”

Runihura didn’t respond at first until he uttered a soft sigh. “…Yeah.”

At least…at least he was alive. But he needed medical treatment. And he needed it soon.

Ok, so he needed to find a way to not only escape with Tokala, but he needed to find a way to take Runihura with them. There was no way he was going to leave him behind. Not with him so injured. 

If he stayed…Keane could kill him.

Keita suddenly let out a loud whistled. He then began to pace the clearing casually, his arms folded behind his head in a far-too relaxed manner. “Getting a hold of you was easier than expected,” he commented. “I’d figure you’d put up some kind of a fight. After all, we’re searching for that Cursed Blade. Isn’t that more important than someone’s life?”

Drayce spent a second to glance over at Tokala before he turned his gaze back to Keita. “…No treasure is more important than someone’s life.”

That was what his father believed. And what his grandfather believed. And what his many ancestors before him believed. It was the Pendragon credo. 

A near inaudible groan from Runihura’s direction caused Drayce to feel a sudden bout of anger. “You’re partners, aren’t you? Why aren’t you helping him?” he demanded more so than asked.

“Oh, that? That happens all the time,” Keita replied, frivolously. “No big deal. If you do as you’re told, you don’t get a beating. Simple.”

Drayce wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that. He had never encountered anything so…harsh in his life. “That’s…”

“I don’t get what the big deal is,” Keita continued, idly pacing back and forth. “Why are you so worried for Runi? You don’t even know him.”

“It doesn’t matter if I know him or not; no one deserves this kind of treatment!”

Keita seemed honestly surprised by his anger. Not to mention confused. He sent Drayce a purely puzzled look before he went back to his pacing. Far less relaxed than previously. 

“You know…” he said after a minute of silence. “I wasn’t the one to tell him what happened.”

Drayce still felt anger about the terrible treatment and at Keita’s blasé reaction to said treatment. But at those words, he felt a sense of pity for the young man, too. “You get the same treatment, too, huh?”

Keita paused in his movements, his back toward him. His lowered his arms to his sides and appeared to tilt his head back ever so slightly so that he could gaze up at the canopy above them. “…Only if you fuck up. It’s normal. Just…normal.”

No, it wasn’t normal. Not normal at all! And to think that it was…was…heartbreaking.

“I…never wanted any of this.”

Runihura’s soft voice caused Drayce to immediately turn in his direction once more. The harbinger was still propped up against the tree, but he had tilted to the side slightly. His hair covered his left eye, but allowed his right eye to be seen. And the once piercing pink was now a dull, lifeless colour.

He was in so much pain…and yet so lifeless.

“You were forced into this guild, weren’t you?” Drayce asked softly.

“Being a thief…to make ends meet for Palash,” Runihura explained slowly, not blinking the entire time. “I just wanted to protect him. He’s…the only family I have.”

“Where is he now?”

“…Safe like you said.”

So, that brounii who told him not to go was the one. “Good.”

And, hopefully, he had made his way inside the Crescentia. And told everyone what had happened. He just hoped that they weren’t recklessly rushing in, and that he hadn’t unwittingly pulled them all into danger along with him.

The sound of footsteps pulled Drayce from his thoughts. And when he felt Tokala suddenly huddle against him, he realised that Keane must have returned.

“That worthless FOE has been taken care of,” he exclaimed arrogantly as he strolled casually into the clearing.

Drayce, however, couldn’t help but be sceptical. “You challenged it?”

Keane stopped in front of Drayce and faced him directly. “What if I did?”

“You’re lying…”

Keane snorted. “Maybe I am. Maybe I directed it toward a stupid rookie guild with more bravado than sense.”

He…had absolutely no humanity, did he? Pulling more lives in danger just for the hell of it. Bandits truly had no morals.

“Oh no,” Keane mockingly cooed at him. “Are you still angry at me for what I did to that useless harbinger?”

Of course he was!

“How could you do something like that to your own guildmate?” That wasn’t exactly a question.

Keane was callously dismissive once again. “Please. He’s just a weapon.”

Even if that was true. It wasn’t, but even if it was, weapons needed to be looked after and well maintained. And…

“A weapon is only as good as the person wielding it,” Drayce retorted.

Keane’s expression suddenly turned stoic. “What was that?”

“You heard me,” Drayce continued, combative in response to the callousness and the fear he felt from the entire situation. “With someone like you in charge, it’s no wonder he doesn’t live up to your expectations.”

Without any warning, Keane lashed out and grasped Drayce by the throat. The pressure of his grip immediately pulled a strangled gasp from Drayce and he squeezed his eyes shut in pure reflex. “Say that again.”

Although his throat began to burn, Drayce struggled to peel open one eye and defiantly looked at Keane. “The truth hurts, doesn’t it?” he managed to utter.

A flash of anger appeared across Keane’s face and his hand tightened just a fraction on Drayce’s throat. “…Heh,” he unexpectedly uttered. And equally surprisingly, released his hold on Drayce’s throat. “Interesting.”

Drayce immediately buckled forward as he coughed harshly. His throat burned at his gasping of air, yet it felt amazing to get air back into his lungs. He quickly realised that he had pushed the other man too far. And it was obvious that violence was his only reaction and response.

And yet, his defiance seemed to…amuse Keane somehow.

“Let’s go,” Keane barked out his order as he turned his back on Drayce to regard everyone else in their unconventional and unwilling party.

Over his own loud breathing and racing heart, Drayce thought he heard Keane mutter something under his breath. 

“…That stupid bastard is getting restless…”

Huh? Was he…referring to someone else?

He didn’t have time to ponder that thought, however, as Keane abruptly turned back around to face him, only to snatch him by the arm and promptly dragged him to his side once more. And then, he led everyone from that small clearing. Moving with determined purpose.

Keane seemed to know where they were going. But…where they heading to the Shining Lotus? Or the Cursed Blade?


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rather special chapter since it’s from Blayke’s point of view for a change. So, yeah, there’s a bit of swearing involved :’D Hope you enjoy reading~!

Blayke kept polishing his rapier as he walked out of his room. He was still agitated by the events that occurred in the labyrinth, and in the past few days in general. That Keita brat seriously pissed him off. His confidence, his attitude, his bravado. 

Nothing but an obnoxious brat.

Still, he couldn’t afford to underestimate him. Just like he couldn’t afford to underestimate any of those bandits. They had a guild name, but he couldn’t remember it. And honestly he didn’t fucking care.

With his weapon as sharp and shiny as he could possibly get it, he slid it back into its sheath and rested it near the front entrance of the guildhouse. He did hesitate in doing so, however. With the break-in that occurred a couple of days ago, he was understandably still a bit edgy.

That bandit was lucky that it was Drayce that walked into the library and not Blayke himself. He’d like to think that he would put up more of a fight. Drayce was protective, and honestly far too nice. He preferred the act of waiting and being on guard. Blayke preferred to strike back, be he the first to strike or the second. Be he would definitely take a swing at someone.

Reckless? Probably. But the momentary satisfaction of hitting the bastard attacking him would be worth it.

“B-Blayke?”

Dropping his rapier in the foyer, Blayke turned at the sound of Caelem’s nervous voice. As he laid eyes on the therian, he found him looking as nervous as he sounded; ears folded back slightly and his fluffy red tail hanging low with just the tip twitching in slight agitation.

He had gotten used to seeing Caelem’s fluffy tail being all…perky and upright. Even wagging excitedly and happily on occasion. 

“What’s wrong?” Blayke immediately asked.

Caelem frowned. “I can’t find Drayce. I can’t even hear him.”

“What?” Blayke asked in surprise. “He’s not in this office? What about his room?”

Caelem just shook his head. “I checked the library, too. I had…thought that maybe he fell asleep or…something else happened. But I couldn’t find him anywhere.”

Blayke felt the urge to race upstairs to have a look himself. But if Caelem said he couldn’t find Drayce, then he couldn’t find him. Going to look for himself would be fruitless. But if he wasn’t milling about in the library, getting himself lost in his office, or simply crashing in his room…then where the hell was he?

“Checked the training room?” Blayke questioned.

“Zohar and Kamali are there,” Caelem answered. “They haven’t seen him either.”

God damn it!

If there was one person in this overly roomy guildhouse that would know where Drayce could be, it could only be a certain green-haired caretaker.

“Ashton!” Blayke called out as he all but marched in a purely agitated manner into the kitchen. And as soon as he spied the other man, levelled him with a very pointed question; “Where the hell is Drayce?”

Ashton immediately stopped what he was doing by the kitchen sink to abruptly spin around to face him. “What? He’s not in his office?”

“No,” Blayke bit out, only truly agitated because he was becoming increasingly concerned. After all those events with those bandit bastards, he had a right to be. “And not in his room or the library, either.”

Ashton seemed to share his concern as his face went from mild surprised to this stoic expression of hidden concern. He eyes became hard, steely even as he quickly exited the kitchen, no doubt wanting to see for himself. 

Blayke followed him out, only to stop in the foyer when he realised the rest of the guildhouse’s occupants were already gathered there. Worry, confusion was rift. And there was nothing Blayke could say that could ease their minds. 

Instead, all he could really do was to run a hand through his hair in frustration. “Man, you really do need to keep a constant eye on the guy,” he muttered.

Drayce had always been like that. Ever since they were kids. He would just wander off after seeing something that looked interesting. The adults said that he was inquisitive. To Blayke, he was just asking for trouble.

And he couldn’t help but feel that Drayce had found himself in trouble…

He wasn’t over-reacting. Something was wrong. He felt it in his bones.

A low growl to his right pulled Blayke from his thoughts. He immediately narrowed in on the source of the sound to find Faelen crouched down in the back hallway next to Nashoba. Whom of which was staring directly at the back door. Back arched, fur bristling, and head hung low.

Before Blayke could tell Faelen to get back into the foyer with everyone and ask what it was that had Nashoba agitated, Ashton marched down the stairs. His expression hadn’t changed much at all. But his jaw was clenched, and his eyes were narrowed.

“He’s not here,” Ashton stated simply as he reached the bottom step.

“He has to be here,” Blayke argued. “No one saw him leave.”

Ashton’s expression hardened further. “By the front door.”

Blayke frowned. “Out the back? What the hell for?”

The sound of hurried footsteps from the floor above caused everyone to instantly look upwards. Tense. Thankfully, it was just Shashi. However, he looked mildly worried as he hurried down the stairs to be next to Ashton.

“Ashton. The map. It’s gone,” he said simply.

“What?”

Shashi lifted his hand to reveal a golden key in his palm. “Here. The key I gave to Drayce only a few hours ago.”

Ashton stared down at the key wide-eyed. “He…?”

A low growl followed by a snarling bark from Nashoba prevented Ashton from saying anything further. The sound, however, immediately reminded Blayke of Nashoba’s previous signs of agitated and he narrowed in on the back of the Crescentia.

“What’s wrong?” he immediately asked as he reached out to snare Faelen by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back to where everyone else had gathered.

“S-someone’s outside,” Faelen nervously stated as he allowed Kamali to take him by the shoulders and essentially hold him close to him to ensure his safety. Nashoba, thankfully, didn’t immediately race off to find the source of the sound himself. He stayed, guarded and alert, in the middle of the hallway.

“Another bandit, huh? Caelem, my rapier.”

Caelem wordlessly picked up the sheathed weapon and effortlessly threw it across the room toward him. He threw it in such a way that allowed Blayke to catch it in one hand and unsheathed it within a mere second later with the other. Discarding the sheath to the side, he held the handgrip of his weapon tightly as he darted toward the backdoor.

He anticipated a bandit. After everything that happened, it had to be one, right?

If it was that brat…

Yet…they got what they wanted. The map. Drayce. Why the hell would they waste time or effort returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak?

Only one way to find out.

When Blayke reached the backdoor, he immediately stilled. He waited in silence, hoping for another noise to narrow in on. Rushing outside without a clue where the intruder could be was stupid. He may be a man of action, but he wasn’t stupid.

He didn’t have to wait long. A soft rustling sound was heard. To the right of the door. Likely a few steps away.

So, to prevent their intruder from gaining the upper hand, Blayke acted first. He opened the door wide and darted outside. He quickly positioned himself into a defensive stance, but readied himself to go full on defensive an instant before he needed to. He faced the direction the rustling came from and heard another noise. Another quick rustle.

That second sound allowed him to narrow in on their intruder further.

He had expected that overly confident blue haired kid. Or that sullen, quiet harbinger. Hell, he half expected to find that smug, eyepatch wearing asshole.

What he got was a brounii with short blond hair with red-rimmed glasses, who happened to be hiding behind a stone pillar. And practically trembling with fear.

“Who-?” Blayke mumbled, revealing his surprise.

The brounii peered around the pillar at him. He had green eyes that were brimming with tears. “P-please don’t hurt me.”

A tearful brounii? He hadn’t expected that…

While still in the state of surprise, Blayke made the conscious decision not to lower his weapon. “You’re…?”

“Runihura l-left me here,” the brounii continued, either accidently or purposely revealing his connection to those bandits. “He said…he said that the d-dragoon said it was ok.”

That caused Blayke to lower his guard a fraction as he blinked at the other in surprise. “Drayce…”

What was going on? How much was he keeping from him?

“Blayke?”

Someone quietly saying his name inside caused Blayke to snap out of his surprise and he turned his head to see that the others had gathered close to the back entrance. Likely worried for him and ready to spring into action themselves. And equally likely, surprised by his lack of action. And probably cussing.

“It’s a brounii,” Blayke replied as he lowered his rapier, but not his guard. “A scared one at that.”

Fiorello immediately stepped forward and defiantly brushed past the others. “Allow me,” he said simply as he moved to step outside also.

By appearance, Fiorello didn’t look that intimidating. And he was a healer, so he would know how to approach someone who was frightened. Even so, Blayke decided to stay close and keep watch. The brounii might be scared because he was alone. Or he was scared because he was being used as bait.

With those bandits, anything was possible.

Fiorello approached the other brounii cautiously. He didn’t immediately rush him. He stopped a few steps away. At a respectable distance. “What’s your name?” he asked in a surprisingly gentle voice.

The other brounii peered out from behind the pillar. “P-Palash.”

“Come inside,” Fiorello urged gently with a reassuring smile. “You’re safe here.”

Palash didn’t respond at first. He continued to hide behind the pillar and just stared at Fiorello. He then suddenly swallowed, as if trying to work up the nerve to leave his little spot of so-called safety.

Finally, he did step out from behind the pillar. “O-ok.”

Fiorello offered out his hand to the still very skittish Palash, who happened to be dressed similar to that of a botanist, so likely felt a sense of kinship with his fellow brounii. Palash looked at Fiorello’s hand, once more swallowing hard.

He then took a hold of Fiorello’s hand.

Although still suspicious, Blayke took a step back to allow Fiorello to take Palash inside. He couldn’t help but glance at their surroundings cautiously, still half expecting someone else to jump out while they were distracted.

The way that Palash clung to Fiorello, skittishly looking at his surroundings in mild panic, prompted Blayke to assume that the kid wasn’t remotely dangerous. No one could fake being that frightened.

Somewhat satisfied that no one else was outside, hiding in the garden and shadows, Blayke backed his way back into the Crescentia. He closed the door and made sure to note that he locked it tight.

He then turned to follow Fiorello deeper into the Crescentia, his rapier close to his side.

“Don’t crowd him. Give him some room,” Fiorello chided everyone.

Blayke, of course, wanted to interrogate him. But with how skittish he appeared to be; it would lead to nowhere. He’d leave the questioning to Fiorello for now. He’d be better off keeping a close eye on their surroundings and ensuring that everyone else was safe.

“Now, then,” Fiorello started as everyone gathered in the foyer once more, and he turned to Palash. “Can you tell us what happened? You need to tell us everything. We’re very worried about a friend of ours, you see.”

Palash continued to cling onto Fiorello’s arm tightly. “U-um, I’ll start with what’s really important.” He took another moment to draw in a deep breath to settle his nerves. “K-Keane took someone hostage. A therian. A-and…he shot another. A pugilist.”

Blayke felt his heart drop into his stomach. “A pugilist? No way…”

That could only mean one thing.

Fiorello caught onto the implication, too. Though, he tried not to show it, the tightening of his jaw indicated that he was rightly worried. “Where?” 

“I-I don’t know,” Palash regretfully replied with a shake of his head. “I only know because Runihura t-told me. He…”

Tears suddenly began to pool in his eyes again and his bottom lip trembled. It was obvious that the harbinger was extremely important to him. He was just as worried for Runihura as they were for Drayce’s safety.

Runihura must have been pretty desperate to leave Palash alone in the back gardens of the Crescentia.

“Runihura has been trying to protect you, hasn’t he?” Kamali asked him gently.

Barely holding back his tears, Palash nodded his head. “K-Keane, he…he’s after the dragoon. Drayce.”

Blayke immediately tensed as a mild sense of nausea appeared from the pit of his stomach. “Why?”

Again, Palash shook his head. “I-I don’t know. He’s a treasure hunter. That’s all I know.”

It wasn’t just because he was a treasure hunter…

Damn bastard. He had better not try anything with Drayce!

A sudden and extremely loud knock at the front door caused everyone to jump. Blayke instantly whirled around, rapier in hand as he pushed himself to the front. Though ready for a fight, a part of him was sceptical that one of those bandits would just waltz up to the front door and make such a racket.

Blayke signal everyone to stay back as he moved toward the front door. With one hand on the handle, the other gripping his rapier tightly, he turned the knob and threw open the front door.

He had expected someone to be standing directly in front of him. And that was what he got. But he hadn’t expected them to be leaning heavying against the doorframe, cradling their left shoulder as dark read blood snaked down his arm and pooled at his feet.

Salim…

Grimacing in pain, Salim lifted his head and muttered through gritted teeth. “You guys…”

Blayke’s rapier was sent tumbling to the floor as he reached out to catch Salim before he fell down along with it. “What the hell happened?” he asked as he felt the pugilist’s full weight fall against him.

As Ashton darted forward to help Blayke drag Salim inside, he managed to ground out a short explanation. “Some…bastard with an eyepatch. He has…Tokala.”

Damn it!

“Take him to the clinic immediately,” Fiorello ordered. “Palash, stay with Kamali. Zohar, help me with this.”

“Of course,” Zohar said dutifully.

Salim continued to lose blood as they dragged him to the clinic. For someone who was usually energetic, perhaps even obnoxiously so, seeing him so…limp and pale was incredibly unnerving.

With Ashton’s help, they laid Salim down onto a cot. As Blayke moved to step away, Salim suddenly lashed out to grab him by the arm. Although it appeared painful for him to do so, he held onto his arm tightly as he looked up at him.

“Find Tokala,” he gritted out. “He’s in trouble.”

…He wasn’t the only one.

“Did that bastard say anything?” Blayke asked as he crouched down next to Salim’s bed.

Fiorello and Zohar worked feverishly on Salim’s arm, of which the pugilist paid little attention to. “Something about a vassal. I think he was…ugh, he was talking about Tokala.”

A vassal? Blayke didn’t have a clue where to start with that. But maybe someone else did.

Blayke patted the back of Salim’s hand in a hopefully reassuring way. “Let Fiorello heal you without complaint. As soon as he’s done, we’ll go looking for Tokala.”

Salim peered up at him through one eye. He gave a short nod of his head in both acceptance and understanding. He then released his hold on Blayke’s arm.

Leaving Fiorello and Zohar to do their jobs, Blayke stepped away from Salim’s bed and out of the clinic. He wasn’t surprised to find that the others had gathered outside the room. Palash with them, holding onto Kamali’s hand tightly as he hid behind him.

With his ears flat against his hand and his hands fidgeting nervously in front of him, Caelem stood before Blayke. “What do we do now?”

Good question. 

First thing they needed to do was to sort out all the information they had gathered. And figure out just what the fuck was actually going on!

“I think I’m beginning to understand what is happening here,” Shashi suddenly uttered. With his hand grasping his chin in a thoughtful posture, he turned to the green-haired earthlain next to him. “Ashton. Do you think-?”

“Absolutely,” Ashton cut him off, his expression stoic yet frustration could still be clearly seen in his eyes. “Keane took Tokala and somehow managed to get to Drayce. The map was likely ransom. He used Tokala to ensured Drayce’s complete compliance.”

“And the damn idiot didn’t tell anyone else because he didn’t want anyone else to get involved,” Blayke added. He couldn’t help but utter a low growl as he raked his hand through his hair. “Ugh, I’m beating his ass when I get my hands on him!”

Ashton nodded his head sharply. “Shashi. Information on the map. You said it pointed to a location at one point. They must be heading there.”

“Yes,” Shashi returned swiftly. “Upper left-hand corner. That’s our best lead.”

“Right, that’s where we’ll go,” Blayke decided before he turned to the two scholars. “But you two, stay here. Just in case that bastard didn’t drag Drayce there. You two can keep an eye out for them in town.”

Ashton looked as though he wanted to argue with that, out of sheer protectiveness toward Drayce then for any other reason. Yet, he couldn’t find fault in Blayke’s line of thinking either. 

“What about Salim?” Faelen asked nervously.

“He’s probably coming, too.” As if they could talk him out of staying put and waiting. “He’s seriously pissed off right now.”

And he wasn’t the only one.

Right. Enough talk. Time for some fucking action.

“Everyone, get ready,” Blayke ordered as he moved to the stairs to get his armour from his room. “We’ve going to beat the shit out of those bandits and get Drayce back.”

“Right!”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat early update this week; got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow which will take a few hours. Health taking a turn again because that’s what’s 2020 is about, apparently. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Night-time in the labyrinth was a lot brighter than Drayce had originally thought. The light from the half-moon filtered through the thick canopy with surprising ease. Thought nowhere near as bright as the daylight, he could see a few feet in front of him. 

He, however, wished his had his coat with him. The labyrinth was rather cold at night.

He also wished that he didn’t have his wrists tied tightly behind his back. His arms were starting to ache from the unnatural positioning, and his wrists were becoming itchy and sore. Unfortunately, under his current circumstances, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Despite the discomfort and mild pain, Drayce still fidgeted and tugged as his wrists. They were currently in a small opening, Drayce along with Tokala and Runihura were forced to sit on the ground while Keane did another quick survey of the area.

They seemed to be heading in a north-westerly direction. Of course, he couldn’t be completely sure. It was hard to keep track of his surroundings with Keane grabbing him at random and dragging him around. And the lush greenery around them was the same. But his inner compass or maybe just inner knowing told him that they were heading toward the upper left-hand corner of the floor.

It was an area that he hadn’t had a chance to inspect himself. So, he had no idea what he was being forced into. 

Drayce winced as a sharp pain raced up his arm. His wrists were really starting to hurt. The coarse rope tied around them was not remotely comfortable. He needed to stop fidgeting. Injuring his wrists further wasn’t going to do him any good.

He turned to his left were Runihura sat, leaned against the base of a tree. He was doing a good job at hiding his pain, but Drayce knew that he was in the need of a healer. And he needed one soon.

“Runihura, are you doing ok?” Drayce asked, genuinely concerned.

Runihura peeled open an eye to look tiredly at him. “…Managing.”

Drayce wasn’t sure how truthful that was. Still, there was little he could do otherwise. “Good. Stay with me, ok?”

A simple nod of the head from Runihura was the only response he got. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. He was getting weaker, wasn’t he…?

“Drayce?”

The soft murmur of his name caused Drayce to turn to his right where Tokala sat, huddled against his shoulder. “Do…do you think Salim is ok?”

Drayce’s gaze softened. He had to find a way to comfort him. Words were all he could do. “I bet he’s at the Crescentia right now. Fiorello will patch him up. I bet he’s as mad as shit right now, too.”

Not to mention Blayke. And Ashton, too.

He wondered how…worried Zohar was. Everyone else for that matter.

Though his wrists were also bound behind his back, Tokala pulled his legs to his chest. “I…like Salim. A lot.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner. “Like?”

Tokala rested his chin on his knees. “He’s…more than a friend or brother to me.”

“Oh, I see.” Drayce wasn’t entirely sure what made Tokala tell him that, but he wasn’t going to stop him.

“But I don’t know how Salim feels about me, ya know?”

For the first time in what felt like hours, Drayce felt a smile twitched onto his lips. “Really? Hah, I’m more than certain that Salim cares for you greatly in return.”

Tokala lifted his chin from his knees to instead bury his face into them in a, well, defeated manner. “…We’re better off being just friends,” he murmured.

The small grin on Drayce’s lips immediately slipped away. His heart went out to the poor therian. He could only wonder what he was feeling. After seeing someone so dear to him get shot and then dragged into the labyrinth as a hostage?

Keane suddenly reappeared from the shadows and marched purposely into the small clearing.

“Up on your feet,” he ordered as he leaned down to snare Drayce’s arm and literally hauled him to his feet. 

Though Keane’s touch unsettled him, Drayce didn’t fight back. It would do no good. He also noticed something; he appeared agitated. Were things not quite going to plan? Or were they taking longer than he would have liked?

Tokala was pulled to his feet by Bronson while Runihura struggled to stand, relying heavily on the tree for support. Keita stood nearby with a rather unreadable expression on his face as he watched Runihura move.

“Let’s move,” Keane ordered once again as he turned back in the direction he came and proceeded to pull Drayce with him.

They fell into a tense and rather terse silence. Only the sound of their feet against the soft grass could be heard. With Keane’s hold on his arm tight and constricting, Drayce could only allow himself to be pulled along. And attempt to concentrate on their surroundings. 

When they turned a corner and toward a path that was surrounded by streams of water, and an archway made from a spiral tree root, a sense of familiarity appeared. He seemed to recognise this path. The unusual structure with the tree root, thin paths, and the pools of water was familiar to him.

If he remembered correctly, he had been here only once. And it was the furthest upper left-hand corner of the map. Well, so far.

As Keane roughly pulled him through the archway, everyone else promptly following, a sound of distress was heard. Drayce immediately looked behind him to find that Tokala had buckled forward, his ears folded back, and he desperately pulled at his arms.

“Hng…” Tokala uttered, seemingly through gritted teeth.

Despite Keane’s grip, Drayce turned around toward the therian. “What’s wrong?”

“M-my head,” Tokala replied, once again the words seemingly being ground out through gritted teeth.

Headache? This place? 

It was the same place where Caelem noticed Tokala looking pale. Was there something here that was affecting him? Wait, Keane led them right here. Could that discomfort be somehow connected to the lotuses?

Keane unexpectedly released his hold on Drayce’s arm and the sudden release caused him to stumble forward slightly. But he didn’t make a break for it for obvious reasons; Tokala and Runihura were still hostages, and where exactly could he go? He doubted he would get very far with his wrists bound behind his back.

He did turn around to face the bandit leader, however.

As Keane reached into his jacket, he knelt down to the ground. He pulled out the parchment that he stole from Drayce and placed it on the ground. He then reached into his jacket a second time and Drayce knew that he was gathering the silver lotus tokens that were also stolen from him.

Sure enough, Keane revealed the three silver tokens.

Flattening the map onto the grass before him, Keane placed the three silver tokens within the centre of the map. The lotus symbols within the tokens began to glow, each a different colour; one a turquoise blue, one a crimson red, and the third a light violet. Each light pulsated once, twice, and a third time before the light abruptly faded.

A flurry of leaves and twigs suddenly burst forth from the thicket close to where they all stood. It was as if someone had taken a sharp blade or hatchet to the foliage in order to clear a pathway to the other side.

That was probably exactly what happened. Like how the Moon Legacy cleared a path for him on the floor below. 

Quickly turning back to the map and tokens, Drayce was able to witness the tokens taking on a glowing red colour, as if burning from within.

That must have been exactly what had happened as the map abruptly began to darken before it burst into flames. The bright orange flames quickly engulfed the parchment and the tokens.

When the flames died down, there was nothing left but a small pile of ash. The map along with the tokens were gone. Their purpose had been fulfilled.

So that meant…

“Keep moving,” Keane briskly ordered as he grabbed Drayce’s arm again and tugged strongly, causing him to whirl around to face him, practically crashing against his chest. As he did, Keane sent him a conceited smirk. “We’re getting close now.”

Yeah, but to what? The Shining Lotus? Or the Cursed Blade?

As Keane fearlessly lead the way to the opening in the forest wall, gladly dragging Drayce with him, it looked as though that they all were going to find out soon enough!

Passing through the opening, they stepped into a surprisingly spacious clearing. Pools of water surrounded a narrow path that lead deeper in still. It honestly wasn’t something Drayce had expected. There was no obvious landmarks or signs of ruins. Nothing like the stone tomb-like structure that was hidden on the first floor.

They still had to do more searching, it seemed. 

He couldn’t help but wonder about Keane’s motivations for all of this; What was he hoping to achieve from all of this? Why had Tokala been taken hostage? Why was he?

Hgn, there was just too many questions. And he didn’t have the time to find answers to them!

Tokala suddenly released a loud, pained scream. “S-stop it!”

Drayce whirled around in time to witness Tokala brazenly break his own bindings, only so he could clutch at his head with his hands. His ears flattened against his hair as he buckled forward. He then lurched forward abruptly, as if something had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward.

“T-Tokala?” Drayce murmured.

Keane, however, wasn’t surprised by Tokala’s reaction. Instead, a smug smirk twisted its way to his lips. “So, he is the one. How lucky are we to get you on the first go?”

“What’s going on? What’s happening to him?” Drayce demanded to know.

Keane chuckled lowly. “The Cursed Blade is calling him.”

“What?” Drayce’s heart dropped down into his stomach. 

“N-no, stop it!” Tokala half screamed, half sobbed as he continued to lurch forward in a completely unnatural manner. “I don’t want it…I don’t want it…I don’t want it!”

As if prompted by Tokala’s scream, the trees around them shuddered violently.

In a truly ferocious explosion of leaves and branches, a column of blackish-green mist appeared from a thick grove of trees and foliage to the right of them. It spiral upwards in a violent twisting motion. The column grew in tighter and tighter until it moulded into a tall beam of energy.

With a sound that could only be described as crackling lightning, the mist dissipated. And in its place was a long, black blade.

Drayce drew in a sharp intake of air. “That’s…”

“The Cursed Blade.” Keane sounded manically joyful at that.

The blade floated in mid-air for a few very intense moments before it abruptly shot toward them. Handle first. And stopped directly in front of Tokala. 

“N-no,” Tokala sobbed as his trembling hands reached toward the blade. Moving on their own accord.

He then wrapped his hands around the hilt of the blade and it fully rested in his hands.

No, Tokala…

“Heh, it’s time,” Keane murmured. “Tomlin, Bronson!”

“Yes!” Bronson replied and strode forward, while Tomlin stayed at the back, his coffins at the ready.

“I’ll get Crim to grab the blade,” the small necromancer stated. “Shithead, you restrain the kid.”

“Got it!”

Drayce could only watch as Tokala, with the Cursed Blade in his hands, whirled around to face them. His once vibrant brown eyes were dull and red. With tears rolling down his cheeks.

That tree-like wraith that Tomlin had pulled on Drayce a couple of times already appeared in front of Tokala while Bronson attempted to slip around the back of him. However, Tokala raised the Cursed Blade, and promptly brought it down into the wraith, effortlessly cutting it in half. He then pivoted on his heel so flawlessly, and slashed in Bronson’s direction.

Thankfully, the pugilist lurched himself backwards and avoided the blade by the sheer skin of his teeth.

For such a big guy, he had some sharp reflexes. Which was lucky for him!

Tomlin uttered a curse or two before he summoned two more tree-like wraiths. Only for Tokala to abruptly cut them down a mere second later.

The way that Tokala handled that blade was incredible. But he wasn’t a fighter. He wasn’t a masurao. How could he wield is to effortlessly?

Unless…

Drayce’s eyes widened with fear when his gaze caught sight of a mass of bright blue. The sound of scurrying feet and the aggressive gnashing of pinchers soon followed.

Just their luck; a toxipede was drawn by the sounds of battle!

Drayce instinctively felt the need to yell out a warning to everyone involved, but especially Tokala as the massive insect was right behind him. However, before he could even form the words, Tokala wordlessly turned around, and with a single swing of the Cursed Blade; took the head off of the Toxipede. 

A green, gooey like substance, likely that of the FOE’s blood, spurted into the air and spluttered messily on the surrounding area. None of it hit Tokala, however, and he lowered the Cursed Blade to his side just as the headless body of the toxipede crashed to the ground.

One single attack. It happened so quickly. A single, simple swing of the blade…

That…

“Shit,” Keane suddenly muttered. “That kid either knows how to use a sword, or…”

“Tokala!” Drayce couldn’t help but call out in alarm as the therian spun around to face them once more.

“I-I can’t stop!” Tokala managed to sob out as he took a purposeful step forward. “I can’t control it!”

“Yup, he’s being controlled,” Keane commented in a dry, deadpanned manner. “No matter, we’ll get the other one then.”

With a feeling that was a mix of fear and concern, Drayce spun around to face the other man. “You planned this?”

Keane peered at him from the corner of his eye before he turned his focus forward once more. “In a way. If you don’t know, according to legend, should the Cursed Blade be freed from its confinement it will go to endless lengths to hunt down and destroy the Shining Lotus. For destroying the Shining Lotus will grant the Cursed Blade even greater powers.”

So, he knew all along!

Panic appeared in Drayce’s chest. “No…We can’t let a sword like that into idle hands! Don’t you know how much damage it could do? The Shining Lotus is the only blade in existence that can defeat it. If it’s destroyed…”

Keane continued to stare forward, his expression tight and terse. “…It’ll make things more interesting around here.”

Drayce could only glare at the other dragoon before he whipped back around to focus in on Tokala. He was surrounded by tree-wraiths once more, three of them to be precise. And their long spinney arms and grabby hands were all attempting to snatch away the Cursed Blade.

But in one effortless, fluid motion, Tokala struck them all down.

If Keane was right, then it was pointless even trying to take the Cursed Blade away from Tokala. Nothing would stand in his way. Rather, stand in the way of the Cursed Blade itself.

Tokala was suddenly directly in front of Tomlin. The Cursed Blade raised above his head, ready to strike.

Out of pure reflex, Tomlin raised his coffins in front of him to act as a shield. They offered the barest of protection and resistance, however. The blade cut through them both so easy. Honestly, it looked as though those coffins were made from nothing but paper.

With his coffins practically disintegrating before him, Tomlin promptly fell down to one knee. His raised his hand to cover him mouth as he coughed harshly. Despite his hand against his mouth, splatters of blood were seen escaping through his fingers.

He was coughing up blood!

W-wait…wait a second. Shashi told him something super important about the Cursed Blade. Ugh, what was it?!

“Tch,” Keane growled out as he summoned three Decoy Shields in quick succession and barked an order toward Bronson. “Get him out of the way!”

“R-right!” Bronson stuttered as he leapt to his feet. He darted forward and behind the row of Decoy Shields. He managed to stay on task even as said shields were systematically destroyed around him. 

Quickly scooping small Tomlin into his large arms, Bronson picked him up and carted him off, putting as much distance between him and Tokala.

Bronson somehow managed to get away without injury. But Tomlin…he was limp in Bronson’s arms. Almost lifeless as blood seeped from his mouth.

He…wasn’t in good shape.

“This is annoying,” Keane hissed as he summoned more shields to distract Tokala. “Where’s that fucking blade already?”

Well, maybe he should have figured that out before he summoned the Cursed Blade!

“P-please, someone stop me!” Tokala sobbed as more tears rolled down his cheeks. “I don’t want to hurt anyone else!”

“What we do now, Boss?” Keita asked, promptly reminding everywhere that he was still there. Drayce honestly forgot about him. And Runihura!

“Distract the idiot,” Keane snapped in response.

Keita immediately paled at the thought. “B-but…”

“Did I fucking stutter?”

Ah, Drayce remembered what it was that Shashi told him!

“Wait!” Drayce abruptly interrupted, prompting Keita to jump in surprise while Keane simply turned toward him. “Don’t interact with the blade!”

Keane raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh?”

“It’s capable of inflecting a dangerous toxin on those who come into contact with it, even if that contact is another weapon or shield,” Drayce explained. “That’s why it was hidden.”

And Tomlin seemed to be infected by that toxin. It worked so quickly. No, it worked immediately. How potent was it? Was there a cure for it?

Once more, Keane’s expression darkened as he turned his focus forward. “…This complicates matters.”

Drayce’s Decoy Shields could also offer as a distraction for Tokala, or rather the Cursed Blade. But how was he going to get said blade away from Tokala? Not to mention, seal it away again without anyone else getting hurt.

Or potentially killed…

“Tokala!”

Wait, that voice…

Tokala’s widen in recognition as he turned in the direction of the voice. “S-Sal?” he stuttered before an expression of utter fear appeared on his face. “N-no, don’t come near me!”

“Drayce!”

And that was Blayke! The others…they found him!

But…was it too late?


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy, this chapter was fun :’D Shorter than usual (because I had numerous doctor’s appointments this week which are not fun), but there’s a tiny cliffhanger at the end. So, yeah, hope you enjoy~!

“Drayce!”

When he heard his name being called once again, but far closer, Drayce purposely moved away from Keane to prevent the other dragoon from snatching him again. And potentially use him as a hostage once more. He moved to stand by Runihura, the harbinger on his feet but leaning heavily against the trunk of a tree for support.

He was about to call out to the others in response, but a white blur on four legs burst through the opening in the forest wall. It wasn’t a monster, however. No, it was better. It was Nashoba!

The white wolf scrambled into the clearing, stopped and sniffed around. He then threw his head back and released a loud howl before he darted toward Drayce. The white wolf made several whining noises as he circled him, nudging him with his nose and simply unable to stay still.

Not long afterwards, more figures appeared. And every single one of them were familiar.

He was equally relieved to see them. But also terrified that they were going to be pulled into this potentially dire situation! 

“Typical,” Keane murmured as he and Keita slunk back, either to hide in the shadows, or make their escape.

“Drayce!” Faelen called out in concern as he rushed over to him and hugged him around the waist. “Are you ok?”

“I-I’m fine,” Drayce replied as Blayke also reached him, and used his rapier to finally remove the bindings around his wrist. As the ropes fell away, Drayce immediately pulled his arms around from his back to wrap them around Faelen to comfort him.

Man, it felt amazing to have use of his arms and hands again!

The others soon gathered around him, they too asking him questions about his wellbeing. But Salim darted pass them all and over to Tokala. Only for the Cursed Blade to force Tokala into a standing stance, ready to strike.

“Wait! He’s being controlled by the Cursed Blade!” Drayce immediately called out to the pugilist. “Salim, don’t let that blade touch you!”

Salim managed to side-step a slash from the Cursed Blade, and somehow slipped around behind Tokala. Despite the heavy bandages around his shoulder and arm, and the red stain that could be seen seeping through, he managed to pull Tokala into a bearhug. Successfully preventing him from moving.

For now.

“Find a to get that blade away from Tokala!” Salim ordered as Tokala began to squirm in his hold, the Cursed Blade forcing him to do what he could to get himself free.

“L-let go! Please, I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Hold on, Tokala! We’ll think of something!” Drayce promised.

Though, freeing Tokala from the Cursed Blade’s possession was going to be easier said than done. And they needed to think of something – fast!

“R-Runi!”

A new voice prompted both Drayce and Faelen to take a step back and turned to look behind them. Resting at the base of a tree, Runihura’s head snapped up just as a young brounii with blond hair and glasses practically threw himself at him.

Even though a wince marred his face, Runihura shakily wrapped his arms around the other. “What are you doing here?” he chided in what could only truly be described as a brotherly manner. “It’s dangerous.”

So, he was the one that Runihura had been trying so hard to protect.

“He made it inside…” Drayce sighed with relief.

“Yeah, he explained some things,” Blayke answered before he stood in front of him and grabbed a handful of his shirt. Despite the scowl on his face, the act of grabbing his shirt wasn’t harsh or hostile. “And you; you have some explaining to do yourself. I am seriously pissed off with you right now!”

Um, yeah, Drayce thought he would be.

“I know, I know!” Drayce returned as he grasped at Blayke’s wrist with his hands. He didn’t try to push his hand away, however. “I get it. But I’ll explain everything later, I promise. I only did it because-”

“You didn’t want anyone else to get involved and get hurt,” Blayke interrupted with a sigh, though his scowl stayed in place. “I know. I’m still pissed, however. If it weren’t for Shashi taking note of the map and Virgil confirming for us that you were a hostage in the labyrinth, we wouldn’t know where to look. We got lucky this time.”

Y-yeah…

“B-Blayke!” Caelem stuttered, quickly drawing them both back to the reality of their situation. “I don’t think Salim can last much longer!”

Blayke immediately whirled around, his frown deepening with frustration and concern when he laid eyes on said pugilist. “Not with his injury…”

Just as Caelem had said, Salim was finding it increasingly difficult to keep skinny, lithe Tokala in his arms. “How bad is it?”

“Bullet passed straight through. It’s not good,” Blayke answered through gritted teeth before he peered at him from the corner of his eye. “What do we do?”

Good question…

“Stop getting in the way, you worthless shit!” Keane suddenly bellowed as he stepped out from the shadows. “Let him lead the way to the Shining Lotus!”

Blayke immediately snapped his head in Keane’s direction and uttered a sound that could only be described as a protective and angry snarl. The bandit, however, simply smirked in Blayke’s direction before he turned to slip back into the shadows once more. 

Hearing painful grunt from Salim as Tokala continued to put up a fight with him, though entirely unwillingly, caused everyone to turn their attention back to him.

“Dray?”

Drayce loathed what he had to say next. “Unfortunately, he’s likely to be right. The Shining Lotus is the only weapon that can defeat the Cursed Blade. And save Tokala.”

They had no means to search for it themselves. Their best bet was to wait for Cursed Blade to pull Tokala toward it, and then, by some miracle, got their hands on it first.

Blayke obviously didn’t like that plan. “So, we just let him go?”

Drayce gave a reluctant nod. “…Yeah.”

“But where is the Shining Lotus?”

“I don’t know!” Drayce shouted in frustration before he could stop himself. He uttered a sigh as his shoulders drooped forward tiredly. “I don’t know…It could be anywhere.”

If only he could do more research. If only he had more information. If only he had more time!

“Watch out!”

Drayce snapped his head just in time to watch deliver a kick to Salim’s stomach, and by doing so, allowed him leverage to push back away from him and to leap out of his arms. The force of the blow propelled Salim back a few feet. He, somehow, managed to stay on his feet and instinctively raised his arms in a blocking, defensive motion in front of him.

Tokala, however, didn’t immediately try to attack him. Instead, he pivoted on his heel and made a beeline for where Drayce stood with his guildmates.

It was almost like he was…responding to something? Or had Tokala somehow fought against the Cursed Blade so that he would not attack Salim, someone that was extremely important to him?

Drayce reacted instinctively; with one hand, he reached out to snare Faelen by the collar of his jacket and pulled him back while he summoned a Decoy Shield less than two feet in front of them. As the Cursed Blade sliced through the etheric shield with little effort, he pushed Faelen toward Blayke, who intuitive took hold of him and jumped backwards.

“Everyone, scatter!” Drayce ordered as he summoned two more Decoy Shields behind Tokala in hopes that they would offer enough of a distraction.

Thankfully, it worked. To some degree at least. The presence of the shields caused the Cursed Blade to immediately hone in on them. With two incredible fast and précised downwards strikes, the shields were destroyed.

So, Drayce summoned three more in rapid succession. Each one luring him further away from his guildmates. And the opening in the forest wall that led to the main area of the labyrinth’s floor.

“Drayce!” Blayke shouted to him.

“Get Salim out of there!”

Blayke, thankfully, simply sprung forward to where Salim was. The pugilist had sunk to the ground on one knee as his cradled his left should with his hand. He didn’t protest when Blayke reached him, roughly flung Salim’s arm over his shoulder, and all but dragged him to safety.

“Everyone else, stay back!” Drayce ordered as he focused on summoning more Decoy Shields. “Any attempt of physical contact with the Cursed Blade would result in immediate poisoning!”

Tomlin was physical proof to that fact. 

Not to mention that the Cursed Blade appeared to have the ability to slice through anything. He didn’t even want to imagine the type of…carnage it could do to a living being. Oh, wait, the Toxipede…

Drayce purposely shook his head to prevent himself imagining something like that happening to anyone. He couldn’t let that happen. Especially not to one of his guildmates.

“There’s got to be something we can do…” Kamali was heard uttering, his voice full of worry and concern. And helplessness.

Drayce was having an increasingly difficult time keeping Tokala distracted with his Decoy Shields. It was taking all of his mental capacity. He couldn’t begin to think of anything else. 

“There’s…Zohar, can you use your wraiths to help prevent Tokala from attacking anyone? Kamali, I’ll need your elemental skills, too. I’ll use my Decoy Shields to hopefully keep the Cursed Blade at bay. We can’t come into contact with the Cursed Blade.”

“Of course. I will summon wraiths other than Theodore for this battle,” Zohar stated without any hesitation. 

Not long after those words passed his lips, Drayce felt that familiar cold sensation race down his spine. Despite what Zohar had just stated, he had expected to find Theodore materialise into existence. 

Instead, he was greeted by the sight of two…flaming skulls. Literally flaming skulls. Though, they didn’t look quite like human skulls with their strangely jagged teeth and sharp edges. Floating soundlessly, let the fiery red flames that seemed to originate from within the skull itself crackled energetically. 

“I’ll…use my ice skills to make barriers,” Kamali informed as he readied himself. “I don’t wish to hurt Tokala.”

No. No one did.

All they could do was to use stalling tactics. Tiring Tokala out was unlikely to be successful; that Cursed Blade controlled his physical body completely. It was unlikely to care, nor be hindered by Tokala’s fatigued.

It could…it could potentially force him to fight until he…died.

Wait, maybe there was something else. The area that the Cursed Blade appeared from. There might be something there to help them. Something in there that could see it. At least some kind of information. Something.

“No, wait, Kamali; head north from here and look for another opening within the forest wall,” Drayce instructed as he summoned more Decoy Shields and ignored the way each summoning caused a sharp pain in his temples. “There might be something there to help us. Use your Detect Mana.”

“B-but…” Kamali wanted to protest. Wanted to stay and be of help to them. And yet, his words trailed off as he quickly realised that maybe, just maybe, finding the location that once housed the Cursed Blade could be beneficial for them all.

He still didn’t want to turn his back on them and leave.

“Go, now,” Drayce urged. 

“…Y-yes,” Kamali murmured.

Drayce couldn’t afford to look away from Tokala, but he did hear the sound of footsteps as they hurried away. And toward the north. 

Good. If…if nothing else, Kamali should be safe from the Cursed Blade.

“Let’s keep him busy, Zohar.”

“Yes.”

Zohar wordlessly raised a hand in Tokala’s direction and fiery wraiths immediately darted forward. They encircled the now unnervingly silent Tokala, prompting him to attempt to slice the dancing skulls down with vicious slashes of the blade. However, the skulls managed to evade the attacks.

That seemed to agitate the Cursed Blade, prompting it to immediately turn in Zohar’s direction.

Not allowing the blade to force Tokala to take even a step forward, Drayce promptly summoned his Decoy Shields once again. And that caused Tokala to turn his attention toward them instead, mercilessly slashing at them and the skulls that continued to hover nearby.

“What should the rest of us do?” Blayke asked, desperate to be of use in some way.

“I…don’t know,” Drayce winced, unable to take his eyes off of Tokala and the blade that controlled him so fiercely. He wasn’t entirely sure if his blurred vision was from his intense concentration, or because of exhaustion of having to summon so many Decoy Shields in such a short amount of time. Either way, he couldn’t stop. “I can’t see…Where is everyone?”

“Fiorello is healing Runihura and Salim with Palash, and with Nashoba guarding them. Faelen and Caelem are with me. Kamali is to the north, out of sight as he searched for anything, while Zohar is a few steps behind you,” Blayke promptly answered, though did nothing to hide his growing concern for him. 

Ok, good. He could…vaguely see the floating, flaming skulls that Zohar had summoned.

Yet…something felt wrong.

Keane said that the Cursed Blade would hunt down the Shining Lotus. And yet…Tokala didn’t seem to be heading in any direction. He, rather the Cursed Blade, seemed content to stayed in place and fight anyone or anything in front of him. Striking down the Decoy Shields and wraiths around him.

That could be one of two things; the Cursed Blade’s conscious desire was the fight and win. Or…the Shining Lotus not in the labyrinth. Not somewhere close by.

Then that meant…

“Blayke,” Drayce softly called out to Blayke, immediately gaining his friend’s attention. Enough so that he moved to step beside him. Though, he was unlikely to like the order he would issue next. “You and Caelem…get Salim and Runihura out of here and to safety. Take Fiorello, Faelen, and Palash with you. And Kamali.”

Having been staying at the back of the group, Faelen sprung forward suddenly with a protest before Blayke could must one of his own. “B-but my arrows…”

Drayce shook his head, of which was now starting to throb from the deep, desperate concentration and summoning of shields. Three more shields. Three more destroyed shields. The way the Cursed Blade forced Tokala to move…

“No, Faelen, I need you to help Blayke keep the others safe.”

He also didn’t want him to see what could possibly happen next…Faelen was too young for that. There was no need to scar him like that. He might be sad now, but…

“Drayce…” Drayce couldn’t see his childhood friend’s expression, but he knew that his face was twisted into an expression of disbelief, frustration, and fearful agitation. “We…can’t let him make his way into town.”

He knew the severity of the situation.

“I know.” Drayce pushed past the pain to continue his stalling tactics. “Blayke, please. If anything happens, hide the others somewhere safe in the labyrinth and warp back to town to warn Ramus. I’ll…stall for as long as I can.”

He…wasn’t entirely sure what he could do against a blade that fought alongside the one and only Despot during the Legendary War. But he had to try something. The Shining Lotus had to be somewhere close by. It just had to be…

Blayke hesitated. “But…”

“I will stay with him,” Zohar suddenly stated, causing Blayke to look over in his direction. He continued, his voice firm and determined. “And I will ensure his safety, regardless of what happens to me.”

Drayce drew in a sharp intake of air and almost misfired a Decoy Shield.

He…Zohar…

“Drayce!” Caelem suddenly called out to him, his voice filled with urgency. “I see a shining light!”

…What?

“Where?” Drayce immediately asked as he tore his gaze away from Tokala to instead look over at Caelem.

Caelem immediately raised his arm and pointed to the area before them. “The water in front of you!” he answered quickly.

“I can’t see anything,” Blayke muttered next to him as he, too, turned to look desperately for that shining light.

“Neither can I,” Drayce replied, but felt a tired smile make its way to his lips. “But we’re not supposed to.”

Just like he was the only one to witness the light of the Radiant Moon of Compassion, it appeared that Caelem was the only one to find the Shining Lotus.

Filled with renewed energy, Drayce summoned three more Decoy Shields in the direction that led away from the waters Caelem had indicated to. “Caelem, go! It’s the Shining Lotus! Quickly!”

Caelem looked over in his direction, unease and nervousness in his posture. “But-!”

“You’re the only one who can wield it and save Tokala!” Drayce promptly interrupted. “Just like the Turquoise Lotus Father did for his own brother! We’ll cover you, so go!”

“Y-yes!” there was that nervousness in Caelem’s voice. And yet, there was also determination. 

And it was that determination that propelled him forward, in the direction of the bright light only he could see.

Finally, the Shining Lotus had revealed itself! They were in with a chance now!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, I’ve finally worked out how many chapters this novel will be. Chapter 23 will be the last for this saga. A little longer than expected, which shouldn’t be a surprising coming from me :’D Anyway, hope you enjoy reading~!

Drayce summoned his Decoy Shields in a pattern that would turn Tokala away from the large pool of water to the west of the clearing. Where Caelem headed on his own. He said that he could see something that the others could not. And Drayce trusted that he did.

All he could do now was ensure that Caelem reached the pool of water in relative safety.

Caelem soon reached the water’s edge. He hesitated, no doubt debating how he was going to reach the light he could see. Dive in? Swim?

Before he could make a decision, something akin to an explosion burst forth from the pool of water, sending white crested waves as high as the trees above. Caelem instinctively took a step back and raised his arms in front of him in a crossed and protective position. He made no attempt to run, however. And despite Drayce’s own body tensing as the water rained down around them, Caelem boldly turned toward the pool once more. And gazed out expectantly.

There, floating quietly, majestically over the still rippling and bubbling water was a blade in a blue stone encrusted sheath. Blue stones could be seen glinting from the hilt. Long, thin, slightly curved at the tip. Like that of a katana that masuraos wielded.

It shone with a light brighter than the half-moon above, though was a gentle light blue in colour.

No, a turquoise blue in colour.

It was the Shining Lotus.

And the Cursed Blade knew it, too. Ignoring the wraiths and Decoy Shields, Tokala whirled around. And narrowed in on Caelem. 

“Call it to your side!” Drayce shouted to him.

Caelem nodded his head sharply. Again, there was no hesitation from him. “Shining Lotus, come to me!”

The Shining Lotus pulsated a bright turquoise blue before it turned in mid-air. To point the handle of the blade forward. And it shot toward Caelem like a bullet.

But Caelem stood strong. He didn’t flinch. Even as the Shining Lotus abruptly stilled directly in front of him. The hilt toward him. Waiting. 

Slowly, he raised his hands and wrapped them around the leather-bound handle. His arms lowered a fraction, indicating that he was now holding the full weight of the blade.

He pulled the blade toward him and removed his left hand from the hilt. He rotated the mystical weapon and rested it within the palm of his hand. Then, he wrapped his hands around the golden and jewel encrusted sheath and slowly, he drew the sheath aside. To reveal the long silver blade.

“This…” Caelem breathed as he stared at the Shining Lotus in awe. That soon dissipated, however, as an expression of determination appeared on his face and he spun around. “Tokala!”

Tokala began to pace toward him with purpose filled strides. “N-no…”

Caelem slipped the sheath into the loop of his belt, to keep it pressed against his side. “It’ll be alright.”

Tokala shook his head as he tightened his own grip on the Cursed Blade. “Don’t come near me!”

There was no backing out now. There was going to be a battle between the two blades. And all anyone could do was to stay back. And leave it all to Caelem.

“Caelem, getting the blade away from Tokala is up to you!”

Again, Caelem nodded his head sharply. “Understood!”

Caelem tightened his grip, as did Tokala. Both in striking stances. Bodies tense, the same with the atmosphere around them. Nothing moved. It didn’t dare. The wraiths that Zohar had summoned had also wisely slipped away. They lingered by his command, but they, too, seemed to become interested in the sight before them.

Then, the two lunged at each other.

Drayce couldn’t prevent a wince at the sound of the blades clashing. He honestly felt the impact in his chest.

Caelem was a masurao, born and raised in a village of masuraos…but he couldn’t possibly face the Cursed Blade alone. Even with the Shining Lotus. 

Could he?

Blayke was never the type to stay back and let someone put their lives in danger. His protective urge propelled him forward. Out of sheer instinct. But Drayce threw out an arm, lightly striking it across Blayke’s chest.

“Stay back,” he told him. “Trust him. He’ll win this.”

It took Blayke a second to battle against his own protectiveness. But he did take a step back. “…Right.”

They would only get in the way, honestly. And they had to have trust in Caelem.

Their attacks…were so fast. All Drayce could see was a flash of light that lasted no more than half a second. Précised swings of the blade. Slashing, slicing. The sharp, high-pitched clatter of metal against metal was the only indication that the two blades were indeed locked in battle.

It was…amazing. Mesmerising in a way.

Caelem was incredible. He had no idea he was so skilled.

But…how long would he be able to battle against the Cursed Blade? How much longer could Tokala?

As the fierce battled progressed, a green miasma like mist slowly began to engulf Tokala. It deepened into a sickly dark green as the Cursed Blade forced his body into a drawing stance. It was almost as if it was readying for one last final attack…

“J-just stop it!” Tokala screamed in warning. “Get away from me!”

There was just…so much pain in his voice. Throughout everything, he had been conscious. And unable to fight back.

A soft…humming noise suddenly resounded through the air. It was gentle, almost inaudible. Yet, it was there. It was comforting, in a way. But where did it come from?

Caelem pulled himself into an offensive stance. The Shining Lotus held before him, grasping is with one hand while his other hand kept a firm grip upon the jewel incrusted sheathe. As he raised the smooth, flawless blade into an overhead stance, the humming sound grew in pitch. Still gentle, yet caused a strange sense of expectation and tension.

It was the Shining Lotus. The sound was resonating from the blade itself. 

“Just…just like the Turquoise Lotus Father did with his own brother, with his own kin, I will not turn my back on you either,” Caelem stated. He sounded so reassured. No hesitancy. No nervousness. No fear. 

In fact, his expression was a mix of compassion and determination. He, along with the Shining Lotus, were readying themselves for one final attack as well.

“Now, cut through the darkness that is trying to overshadow the light, Shining Lotus!”

A bright, blinding light suddenly filled the area. So bright that Drayce had to turn away and cover his eyes. He could only assume that the light originated from the Shining Lotus.

When the light faded and Drayce could see again, Tokala was lying on the ground, curled up on his side with his back toward them. And the Cursed Blade was on the ground several feet away. 

Whatever attack Caelem used, it caused Tokala to practically crumble to the forest floor where he stood, while the Cursed Blade was flung through to air and clattered to the ground where it now laid. 

“Tokala!” Salim immediately called out in alarm as he rushed to Tokala’s side. He hastily skidded onto the grass next to him and fell to his knees. Concern was clearly seen on his face as his hands hovered above Tokala, afraid to touch him in case he hurt him further. But desperately wanting nothing more than to scoop him into his arms.

“Don’t move him,” Fiorello ordered as he followed at the pugilist’s heels. “Let me take a look at him.”

Tokala wasn’t moving, though. Even as Fiorello began to inspect him. He…should be fine with Fiorello there, though, right?

Caelem had managed to free Tokala from the hold of the Cursed Blade. But the blade itself was still a source of concern. It was literally trembling and rattling, still moving, as it laid on the ground. It wanted to get back to Tokala. 

They needed to think of something to subdue it – fast!

“Caelem, use the Shining Lotus’ sheath!” Blayke suddenly yelled. “It might be able to contain the Cursed Blade until we find a way to seal it again!”

“Right!”

Yes, that could work. The blue turquoise stones should be enough to contain the blade until they found a way to seal it once again. Either with the same technique the Turquoise Lotus Father had used centuries ago; or their own version.

Making his way over to the Cursed Blade, Caelem used the Shining Lotus to stab the handle of the blade to pin it to the ground. The Cursed Blade jolted at the impact and continued to rattle and shake, as if it was alive. Caelem wasn’t deterred, however. He carefully slid the turquoise coated sheath along the long, dark metal blade.

But even as the sheathed reached the hilt, the terrible blade continued to rattle. It was almost like a death rattle, to be completely honest.

“Caelem!” Kamali suddenly appeared and called out calmly to the masurao. “Do you have the Scarlet Lotus?”

“Y-yes!”

“Tie it to the Cursed Blade,” Kamali promptly instructed, once again sounding calm despite circumstances. “It might be enough to keep it sealed within the Shining Lotus’ sheath.”

Though reluctant to release his hold on the temporarily contained Cursed Blade, Caelem had no other choice. He quickly reached into the pant’s pocket and hastily dug around for a second or two. Finally, he pulled out the red lotus crystal.

He hastily tied it around the hilt of the Cursed Blade, ensuring that he didn’t touched the accursed weapon. The rattling and trembling suddenly ceased and it fell silence.

The Cursed Blade had finally stopped moving.

For now, at least.

“I think it worked,” Caelem said around a sigh of relief.

That prompted everyone else to utter a few sighs of their own. From Drayce especially. He knew how dangerous that blade truly was. And how destructive it truly could have been. It defeated a FOE so easily. And was willing to attack anything in front of it. Imagine the carnage it could have caused if it made it inside the city.

Drayce turned to the purple-haired warlock, relieved to see that he was unharmed. “Kamali?”

“I felt a sudden rush of Mana and knew right away that it was the Shining Lotus,” Kamali immediately explained. “I also found the place to which I believed once housed the Cursed Blade.”

So, he had pointed him in the right direction.

“Is there anything there?”

Kamali nodded. “An altar of sealing.”

An altar of sealing, huh. But the Cursed Blade revealed itself so easily. Was it because of Tokala? Or had the seal weakened over time?

Before Drayce could allow himself to muse, he promptly remembered that he and his guild weren’t alone in the labyrinth. He wasn’t sure what alerted him to that fact. He just felt…eyes on him. Not fully malicious, but certainly not benign in any way, shape, or form.

He spun around just in time to witness Keane stalk out of the shadows, his cannon resting on his shoulder, and Keita a step behind him.

“It’s been sealed, huh?” Keane muttered as he bounced the cannon on his shoulder. “Now then-” 

Before he could take a step forward, however, Blayke barred his path. His rapier at the ready. Along with Zohar and his wraiths, and Nashoba. Blayke’s posture was that of anger. The protective kind that Drayce had seen from him several times before. Nashoba, too, was protective; growling lowly with his heckles raised. And Zohar stood tall behind Blayke, his face stoic, but the fiery skull wraiths seemingly…jittering and sneering beside him. 

“You’re not getting a step closer, asshole,” Blayke practically snarled.

Yeah, he wasn’t going to get a step closer. Drayce was going to make sure of that, too. Though his head hurt from having to summon numerous Decoy Shields before, he could muster up a few more if necessary.

There was also something that he wanted Keane to know.

“Listen closely, Bandit; do NOT come after any of my guildmates ever again. And yes, that includes Runihura, Palash, Tokala, and Salim.”

“Oh?” Keane mockingly cooed at him. “Did you just adopt them all just now?”

“You better believe I did!” Drayce stated firmly. “You’re used to getting your way through the use of violence. That won’t do you any good here.”

If it weren’t for Kamali, who had a hold of Blayke’s arm, the blue-haired fencer probably would have launched himself at Keane. Out of protectiveness and sheer hatred for the guy. “I’m more than willing to use violence myself.”

Keita looked around nervously as he kept close to Keane, who of which remain expressionless. Passive, almost. “Boss, we’re outnumbered.”

“And they have the Shining Lotus and the Cursed Blade…” Keane muttered as he, too, cast a cautious glance toward everyone. Finally, an expression of agitation appeared on his face and he clicked his tongue. “Tch. Let’s go. See ya later, Pretty Boy.”

Unfortunately, that seemed likely.

As Keane turned to leave, his glanced over in Runihura’s direction. From where he stood, Drayce couldn’t see what kind of expression he had, but he risked a guess that he had a fierce glare. If Runihura wincing and Palash attempting to hide his face against the harbinger’s chest was any indication. 

“And, you,” Keane spat. “Don’t think you’ve gotten away from me.”

That was no threat. That was a warning.

Drayce would need to keep a close eye on Runihura in the future.

Keita lingered for a moment as he gazed in Runihura’s direction. His expression was unreadable, stoic even. He seemed to…hesitate before promptly turning on his heel and following Keane into the shadows of the labyrinth.

He…may have felt something toward Runihura after all.

Unfortunately, there were other things that Drayce needed to concentrate on.

“Tokala?” Drayce questioned in concern as he looked over in the direction where Fiorello and Salim were crouched around the still unmoving therian.

Fiorello looked up at him and offered him a small smile. “He’s going to be all right. The Cursed Blade forced him to use muscles in such ways he hadn’t used them before. He’s exhausted. He’s going to be sore and tired for a while.”

That was such a relief.

“He fought hard against the Cursed Blade,” Zohar added.

Yeah, he did. He was conscious throughout it all. Pleading with everyone to keep away. The blade had taken control of his body, but not of his mind.

Drayce then turned his attention to the red-haired masurao, whom of which stood vigilantly over the Cursed Blade, the Shining Lotus in his right hand. Poised to strike if necessary. “Caelem, are you all right?”

Caelem looked over at him and nodded his head. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“You saved Tokala, Cal!” Faelen cheerfully reminded him, which prompted Caelem to look genuinely surprised.

He turned to glance over in Tokala’s direction. “I…hope so.”

Blayke approached him, along with Faelen. Though, he kept a cautious eye on the Cursed Blade, and placed himself between it and Faelen to ensure his safety. As he reached Caelem, he turned to give him a concerned frown. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Again, Caelem nodded his head in affirmation. “Yes, I am. The Shining Lotus…Wouldn’t let anything hurt me.” He carefully rested the steel blade in the palm of his left hand. A tender smile made its way onto his lips as he closed his eyes. “It feels…so warm.”

That warmth was likely the same that Drayce had felt when he encountered the Radiant Moon. It was a warmth that was hard to describe. Comforting, reassuring, almost familial in a way.

He was glad that, despite the danger, Caelem was protected.

There was one more person that Drayce needed to check in on before he could remotely begin to relax. “Runihura, stay where you are, ok?” he instructed in a soft tone. “Don’t try sneaking off on me.”

Thankfully, while also worryingly, Runihura didn’t have the energy to escape. He simply rested fully against the tree and nodded as Palash continued to fuss over him with medicine and herbs. “Ok,” he replied softly. Tiredly. 

“He’ll be on rest for the next couple of days, too,” Fiorello piped up to inform him.

Honestly, that wasn’t much of a surprise. He didn’t know what Keane did to him, and he probably didn’t want to know. But now that Runihura was part of his guild, he was going to make sure it didn’t happen again.

“Be sure to protect them, Nashoba.”

The white wolf lifted his head in response, but did little else. Seemingly content to stay where he was, next to Runihura. And though he appeared relaxed, his ears were up and he constantly searched the shadows around them.

Only when he realised that everyone was safe, did Drayce feel his own fatigue set in.

“It’s over…” he muttered under his breath as he clutched his forehead with his right hand. His head was aching. And he suddenly felt incredibly tired. Almost to the point where he just wanted to crumble to the ground to just sit for a moment.

However, before he could, a strong arm wound its way around his shoulders and he was pulled toward a taut chest. The arm and presence were comforting, however. And familiar. Enough so, Drayce subconsciously sunk back into the arm that held him upright.

“Are you all right?” Zohar asked him softly.

Drayce tilted his head back to see Zohar own concerned gaze looking back at him. His eyes were soft, almost tender in a way. “Yeah, don’t worry,” he replied with a tired, but hopefully comforting smile. “I’m just…relieved it didn’t turn out the way I had feared.”

Zohar unexpectedly reached forward and gently took one of Drayce’s hands into his. A frown tugged at his lips when he lifted his hand and gently rubbed his thumb over his knuckles. “Your wrists.”

Oh, right. He had forgotten about that.

“Just a little bit sore,” Drayce offered in reply. 

Zohar’s arm tightened around his shoulders. “We were greatly worried,” he said softly, a subtle sense of pain in his voice.

Drayce immediately felt a sense of guilt. “…Sorry. I didn’t think any of this would happen.” He sighed once more, fatigue setting in once again. “Honestly, I don’t even know why he dragged me along. I didn’t…he didn’t need me.”

Likely a show of force. Or to make him realise that he could do anything he wanted. And take anyone he wanted.

“What should we do with the Cursed Blade?” Blayke suddenly asked, promptly reminding Drayce and everyone else that their situation wasn’t entirely over just yet. “We obviously can’t leave it here.”

Pushing aside his fatigue and headache that was gradually increasing in strength, Drayce straightened himself up and stepped out of Zohar’s hold. Though, he did feel a sudden sense of cold as he did so. And he couldn’t help but note that Zohar himself didn’t seem all to pleased. 

“We’ll have to hand it over to the council,” Drayce replied. “Have it sealed away in their vault.”

At least for now. Until they can find better arrangements. 

Kamali made a slight humming noise, that of thoughtful contemplation. Honestly, the sound he made was similar to the one that Shashi made when he was deep in researcher mode. “Hm. I think that would be more suited than attempting to seal it back within the altar. Too many know of its existence, now.”

“That’s true,” Drayce couldn’t help but wince before he turned to glance in the direction to the north of them. “Where is it exactly?”

Kamali turned to take the lead, motioning him to follow with the wave of his hand. “This way.”

Drayce nodded before he turned to regard the others of his guild. “You ok with the Cursed Blade, Cal?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Caelem immediately replied. “The Shining Lotus and I will ensure that the Cursed Blade won’t become active again.”

“And I’ll stay to ensure those bandits don’t try anything stupid,” Blayke quickly added. “But shout if you need anything.”

That would be for the best, actually. Not to mention, the alter might hold a boobytrap or two of its own. The less that was exposed to it, the better. But he would need both Kamali’s and Zohar’s help with this.

“Ok, Kamali, Zohar, and I will inspect the alter. Everyone else, stay here.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This saga was meant to be shorter than the first, but it appears to be around the 80k mark. I really am abysmal at estimating how long or short a story is going to be. Numbers are meaningless. Anyway, this saga is slowly winding down. Hope you enjoy~

The labyrinth was silent and still. It was almost unnerving, in a way. After the chaos of what had occurred, Drayce was still on edge. And would likely be overly alert and cautious for some time yet.

Thankfully, his cautious was met with nothing by peace as they walked quickly along a long-forgotten path. The foliage around them were familiar, but dense. Truly, it had been some years since this part of the labyrinth had seen visitors.

And as they stumble across a stone formation nestled within the twisting roots and branches of the trees, it was for good reason.

“This is it,” Kamali said simply as he moved through the think undergrowth toward the curious structure. Of course, Drayce and Zohar were right behind him.

It appeared to be a simple stone monument. Carved by hands, not by nature. Covered in moss, worn by the weather and growth that surrounded it. Yet, broken chain links were scattered over the altar and the surrounding area. The metal, though old and rusty, gave clear indications that they had fractured recently.

Those chains were likely what was keeping the Cursed Blade sealed all these years.

“Hm,” Zohar murmured to himself as he inspected the faded and weathered engravings upon the stones. “These are symbols of sealing, though the writing is not that of Celestian.”

“They appear to be that of the Therian language,” Kamali explained. “To think they knew rituals of sealing.”

“It is likely that they needed to learn in order to seal the Cursed Blade.”

“That is very true.”

Drayce momentarily turned away from the two celestians to gaze down the path they had just trodden. And in the direction where the Shining Lotus had revealed itself. And a revelation struck him in return.

“The Cursed Blade was located closely to the Shining Lotus. That wasn’t a mistake.”

“No. It is likely a precaution,” Zohar agreed, prompting Drayce to turn to face him once more. “The volatility of the Cursed Blade would go to endless lengths to reach the Shining Lotus. Whoever created this altar did so with the thought of limiting causalities in mind.”

Drayce could only nod. “Yeah.”

He felt it was a conscious decision made by the Turquoise Lotus Father himself.

Kamali crouched in front of the altar. He pushed aside the moss and undergrowth. As the vines and flowers were removed, a small enclave within the altar was revealed. And inside, numerous scrolls and leather-bound books. They appeared in relatively good shape, despite being half-open to the elements.

He cautiously picked up a scroll. He unfurled it slowly, the paper protesting quietly. “It’s…therian. I can’t read it here, unfortunately.”

“They likely hold the answers we need,” Drayce assumed. Well, hoped, really. “So, let’s grab everything we can and get out of here. It’s been…a rough day.”

To put it lightly.

… … … … … 

Drayce didn’t truly allow his caution and alertness to relax until everyone had gathered together and they used the Ariadne Threads to whisk them all back to the entrance of the labyrinth. The sounds of a bustling city, even at night, was reassuring in a way.

As they gathered themselves and headed silently down the stairs that would lead them directly into the city, Drayce noted that there was a large gathering of guards some yards in front of them.

And he recognised two of the figures immediately; guard Virgil and guildmaster Egar.

Even with the large black helmet that adorned his head (and honestly, seemed to impair much of his sight), Egar appeared to be the one to notice Drayce and his guild first. He turned toward them, prompting Virgil to do the same. 

“There you are,” he said in a form of greeting.

“Are you all right?” And Virgil promptly asked with a frown.

“I was about to ask the same,” Drayce returned with a small smile. Of which promptly faded and he sent the friendly guard an apologetic look. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

But Virgil shook his head. “I’m glad you’re all right,” he said with genuine relief. However, a rather disapproving frown marred his features. “You were rather reckless, though. Throwing yourself at the bandit to distract him like that. You could have gotten hurt.”

The corner of Drayce’s mouth twitched into a half-smile. Honestly, scolding him from concern. “And you could have gotten shot. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Shot?” Egar interrupted, his voice quite firm. Protective in a way. Especially when he turned sharply in Virgil’s direction. “Seems you neglected to tell me that.”

Virgil winced and looked away. Looked away sheepishly.

Despite the large helmet, Drayce could tell that Egar was scolding Virgil in a rather…familial way. A sigh resounded from within his helmet and he turned back toward Drayce. “Those bandits?”

Drayce shook his head. “I don’t know where they are, unfortunately.”

Egar wasn’t very pleased. He didn’t place any blame toward him, Drayce was fairly certain of that. “Very well. I’ll increase patrols around the city as a precaution.” He folded his arms across his chest and turned his head in the direction of Drayce’s guildmates.

And he stilled. 

“And that is…?”

Drayce glanced over his shoulder, to where Caelem stood with Blayke. It was fairly obvious that it was the blade in the turquoise coated sheath that had his attention. “I assume Ramus told you?” he asked when he returned to face him once again.

“As much as he could,” Egar replied.

Likely, all the information that Drayce had provided for Ramus himself.

“That’s the Cursed Blade,” Drayce answered simply. Context and what had occurred could wait for the time being. “We need it to be sealed in one of the council’s vaults.”

“Very well,” Egar replied immediately as he unfolded his arms. “I shall speak with Prince Ramus.”

As Egar turned to regard his squadron of guard, Drayce ventured back toward his own guild. He immediately looked over at Caelem once more. He appeared fine, holding the Cursed Blade tightly in one hand, while the other kept the Shining Lotus close. He did look a little anxious, which was hardly a surprise.

“Are you all right there, Cal?” Drayce asked.

Caelem turned his face toward him and nodded his head quickly. “I’m fine. I can only feel the Shining Lotus.”

Good. The Cursed Blade was still silent.

“Drayce!”

Drayce jumped slightly at the sound of his name. He immediately recognised the voice and he spun around in the direction it resonated from.

It was Ashton.

He was making his way toward him. Quickly. 

Drayce met him half-way and pressed himself against his chest as Ashton quickly wrapped his arms around him tightly. He gripped the front of Ashton’s vest as the dedicated caretaker wrapped an arm around his waist, and another firmly around his shoulders. It was a tight hug. A warm hug. Almost desperate from relief.

He couldn’t imagine how worried Ashton must have been, stuck at the Crescentia and waiting.

After a long moment, Ashton loosened his hold on him and took a half step back. He didn’t remove his arms completely, however. He gripped Drayce by his upper arms to keep him in front of him as he spent another moment visually inspecting him for any injuries.

There was obvious concern on Ashton’s face. It was something Drayce hadn’t really seen before. A panicky concern. He almost looked…frightened.

“You’re ok?” 

“I’m fine.” Though, he did feel a sense of guilt for worrying him so much. Not that he did it on purpose, of course.

“What happened?”

Drayce just started to ramble. “I didn’t have a choice. Keane, he had a gun to Tokala’s head. He wanted the map. I couldn’t just-”

Ashton interrupted him by promptly pulling him in for another tight hug. 

Drayce rested his chin on Ashton’s shoulder and he peered at the other man from the corner of his eye. “Are you mad at me?” he asked softly.

“No,” Ashton said as he pulled back from the hug once again. He uttered a sigh as he reached up to gently stroke the side of Drayce’s head. “I’m mad at myself. I should have seen this coming. I should have known, when it comes down to it, you would become a martyr.”

“No treasure is worth more than someone’s life.” A creed for every Pendragon. 

“I know,” Ashton sighed. “I’m glad you’re ok. We couldn’t…” he trailed off as a truly pained expression appeared on his face.

It lasted only a second before he promptly replaced it with a look of parental concern. He idly brushed the red strands of Drayce’s hair from his forehead. And Drayce allowed him to fuss. It helped to ease Ashton’s concern. And honestly, it helped ease Drayce’s own worries.

“You’re exhausted,” Ashton said after a moment.

Drayce couldn’t deny that. He could, however, deflect it. “I’m not the only one.”

A flash of purple from the corner of his eye promptly Drayce to turn his head. His gaze immediately fell onto that of Shashi as he spoke to his brother quietly. He took a moment or two to fuss over Kamali much like Ashton done with him.

“Shashi…” he murmured, gaining the celestian’s attention. He felt the need to apologize to him, but before he could form the words, Shashi shook his head.

“It’s all right,” he said in a comforting tone. “Despite circumstances, you did what was right. We’ll be more careful next time, yes?”

“Yeah,” was all the response Drayce could muster.

He certainly hoped nothing like that would happen again.

“Ashton,” Shashi said pointedly as he turned toward the Earthlain. “It’s time for us to do our jobs.”

“Right,” Ashton replied with a sharp nod of his head. He quickly returned back to Drayce, his grip on his arms tightening ever so slightly. “We’ll escort Caelem to the Council Hall and help in the sealing of the Cursed Blade. You’re going to head straight home and get some rest.”

Upon hearing Council Hall, Drayce barely suppressed a wince. He wondered if Ramus knew of what happened. 

“Everyone else, help the injured to the Crescentia, too,” Ashton continued to issue out commands. “We’ll deal with the documents later.”

Everything that Ashton said made complete sense, so no one bothered to argue with him. Not even a token fight. Instead, they all nodded.

Ashton finally released his hold on Drayce’s arm. “We’ll take care of everything else from here.”

Drayce nodded. While he was indeed curious to learn how they were planning to seal the Cursed Blade, and maybe even watch them conduct the ritual. But he was also kinda tired. And he had quite the headache. He was also more concerned for the rest of his guild. Especially the four newcomers. 

Besides, he trusted Ashton and Shashi. They were both scholars, talented ones at that. If anyone could find a way to render the Cursed Blade safe, it would be them.

Kamali chose to accompany his brother to the Council Hall, to help in the sealing and to keep Caelem company since he was no doubt going to be centre of attention by scholars and royal officials alike. And Caelem didn’t seem to appreciate crowds too much.

Blayke likely would have gone, too, but he also wanted to keep an eye on Drayce and the others. Not to mention he was needed to help carry the important documents and scrolls back to the Crescentia. Besides, Drayce would perfered if he stayed at the Crescentia, too. So he could help watch over Faelen. The poor kid was likely to be feeling shaken after what had happened.

So, with the everyone having chosen a destination, they parted ways; Egar and Virgil escorted Caelem and the others to the Council Hall, while Drayce took the lead, aiding Runihura to walk as he did so.

Even though there was blood visible through the white bandages, Salim refused to relinquish his hold on Tokala. The young therian looked rather fragile in his arms, though it was no surprise he refused to release him.

He certainly looked very frail lying in Salim’s arms like that. Limp. Unmoving. If Fiorello wasn’t the one to reassure him that Tokala would be fine, Drayce would be far more worried than he was. Oh, he was still worried. But not the panicky kind.

As they entered the foyer of the Crescentia, Fiorello promptly began to order everyone around. 

“Take Runihura to the clinic. Salim, take Tokala to his room. You two, place those documents in the living room for now. Zohar, escort Drayce upstairs to his room after he’s done. No buts.”

Of course, everyone listened without complain. It was likely going to be a long night for the botanical genius. He had three patients in need of healing, after all. 

And Drayce was determined to make sure he wasn’t one of them.

Drayce helped Runihura to limp his way to the clinic and over to a bed. Palash stayed close to him the entire time and promptly held onto his hand when Drayce helped Runihura to lie down onto the bed.

“Don’t worry; you’re safe now,” Drayce reassured the both of them.

Palash looked up at him, still somewhat skittish. But Runihura appeared too tired to properly respond. It was no surprise, really. Being in pain drains the energy. Drayce understood that pretty well himself.

A warm hand settling in the small of his back prompted Drayce to raise his head and look over his shoulder.

“Come,” Zohar said simply as his hand slid to rest against Drayce’s side, gently nudging him toward the door of the clinic.

Drayce honestly didn’t have it in him to protest. Besides, he’d only be in the way. So, he nodded his head and allowed Zohar to guide him. “Fiorello, don’t push yourself.”

Fiorello, however, waved his hand in a shooing motion in his direction. “Now, no fussing over me,” he said as he gathered some supplies from the medical cabinet. “I’ve had busier days.”

Well, best leave the dedicated botanist to do his job.

Zohar kept his arm around Drayce’s waist as he wordlessly guided him up the stairs to the second floor. While the silence wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, Drayce did feel as though Zohar was pondering about something. Possibly internally struggling with something.

That, of course, concerned Drayce.

He decided to wait until they reached the privacy of his room before he questioned Zohar about what was bothering him. And, thankfully, his room was only a few steps away.

Zohar kept his hand on the small of Drayce’s back as he guided him silently through the door to his room. He only removed his hand when he turned to close the door behind them. It was when he turned around to face him that Drayce decided to give him a softly concerned look.

“Zohar?”

He didn’t respond at first. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his trousers to pull out a small bottle of ointment and a wadding of bandages. “Allow me to dress your injuries.”

“Injuries?” Drayce was rather confused by that. It wasn’t until Zohar reached out to gently take one of his hands in his that he remembered. “Oh right, my wrists.”

They were a little bit sore. He had worse, though. 

Zohar placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him over to the bed. Drayce dutifully sat down as Zohar sat down next to him. They both fell silent as Zohar set about carefully tending to the minor grazes and lacerations to Drayce’s wrists.

His hands were very gentle. Warm. One hand would tenderly hold Drayce’s hand, his thumb lightly brushing against the back of his hand, while the other worked to delicately dab the healing balm to his wrists. The ointment stung a little, but the way Zohar’s hand held his was distracting.

It was…fascinating, in a way.

He had such large hands, crisscross with minor scars here and there. Yet they remained gentle with him.

“Is…something else wrong?” Drayce asked as Zohar finished tying the last bandage.

Again, Zohar didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he uttered a sigh and took to his feet. He walked over to the dresser to place the ointment and bandages down, likely to return to them at a later date. 

“…I joined your guild in order to protect you,” he finally said as he shook his head in a disappointed manner. “And yet I failed.”

Drayce’s gaze softened. He remembered that. The reason why Zohar wanted to join his guild. He told him that he wanted to protector him. So, today…

Zohar…

“I’m still here, aren’t I?” Drayce said as he, too, stood to his feet and made his way over to the necromancer. “That was…just a minor anomaly. Don’t worry about it.”

With his back toward him, Zohar fell silent. And Drayce felt a small spike of fear appear in his chest.

“You’re not…leaving, are you?” he asked, worry abundant in his voice.

“No, of course not,” Zohar replied immediately this time. Even turning around to face him.

Drayce released a breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding. “That’s a relief,” he said with a shaky half smile. “So…”

Zohar raised his hand to gently cup the side of Drayce’s face. “You need to take better care of yourself,” he said as he slid his fingers through his hair beside his ear and lightly trailed his thumb along his cheek bone.

“…Maybe,” Drayce relented as he leaned into Zohar’s hand, his own reaching up to grasp at his wrist. Not to pull him away, however. But to keep his hand in place. “I’m sorry if I worried you. I…”

“I know,” Zohar responded simply.

As Zohar gently glided his thumb along his cheek again, Drayce abruptly (and unfortunately) remembered the moment that Keane had rubbed his thumb harshly over his bottom lip.

Keane’s touch left him feeling cold. Nauseated at times. Even angry. He felt indignant. Violated in a way.

But Zohar’s hands were different. Gentle, comforting. They made him feel…warm inside. Safe even.

“Your touch is different…”

Zohar tilted his head to the side in question. “Hm?”

Drayce flushed lightly. He hadn’t meant to say that aloud. “Ah, it’s nothing,” he quickly replied.

He then paused as a strange…need washed over him.

“…Can I try something?” he asked.

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in Zohar’s reply.

Drayce, however, did hesitated for a moment. He felt a little foolish. Yet…a bit of comfort for himself wasn’t wrong, was it? 

Wordlessly, he rested his hands against Zohar’s chest. He then pushed himself forward to rest himself full against his chest also. Zohar’s arms soon encircled him and pulled him closer, gently guiding Drayce to nuzzle his head under his chin while he in turn rested his cheek against his hair.

“Sorry,” Drayce murmured. “Just for a little while.”

Zohar’s arms tightened around him. And they were as comforting as his hands. “Did he do anything to you?” he asked protectively.

“Not really. It’s…I just don’t like him touching me. At all.”

Drayce didn’t realised he had tensed at the thought of that bandit until Zohar slid a hand along his back to thread his fingers through his hair. Somehow, he was able to pull him even closer to him. Hold him tighter, yet not hurt him in anyway.

“This…is so different,” he murmured as his eyes slid closed on their own accord.

He…liked it. And, well, he needed it, too. 

It honestly wouldn’t be too hard for him to fall asleep like this.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re up to the second last chapter, and it’s kinda a long one. About 4k, which isn’t that long compared to others I have done. Anyway, enough from me, hope you enjoy reading~

It was around mid-morning when Drayce awoke from a somewhat fitful sleep. Zohar had stayed with him throughout the night, and his presence was a source of comfort. But he couldn’t prevent worry from creeping in. He had seen what the Cursed Blade could do and his mind filled in the blanks of what it could potentially do.

So, naturally, he was worried for those who were at the Council Hall and attempting to seal away the Cursed Blade once again.

He was sure everything was fine. If something went wrong, someone would have warned him, surely.

To settle his concerns, Drayce took a few moments to check in on his guildmates. Faelen especially since he was the youngest of the guild. Thankfully, the young rover hadn’t witnessed the brutal slaughter of that toxipede. Nor the attack on Tomlin that left him coughing up blood (though Drayce had to wonder what happen to the guy).

As Drayce moved to check in his next guildmate, he paused when the room at the end of the hall opened. And Ashton stepped out.

“Ah, you’re finally awake,” Ashton greeted with a small but calm smile. “Hungry?”

Drayce hurried over to him and stood before him. “How did the ritual go? I…couldn’t sleep very well. Zohar kept me company. But I was worried that something else might happen with the Cursed Blade and-”

Ashton placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him. “It’s been sealed.”

Drayce breathed a sigh of relief. “Everything went well?”

“Prince Ramus ordered his royal scholars to help us. Though, they mostly bickered amongst themselves,” Ashton explained before a frown tugged at his lips. “Kamali explained to us what had happened in the labyrinth. That could have been very dangerous.”

Yeah. It could have been. 

“Thankfully, it didn’t,” Drayce pointed out. “How’s our patients?”

Ashton looked over Drayce’s shoulder to the doors across the hall. “Tokala’s still asleep and has Salim watching over him. And Runihura is resting.” His gaze soon drifted back toward Drayce, and once again he had a tight frown on his lips. And a rather protective glint in his eyes. “What happened with you when you were alone…with that bandit?”

“Honestly, nothing,” Drayce answered, frowning at a certain memory. “He…gave Runihura a beating for defying him. And then just dragged me and Tokala around until the Cursed Blade appeared.”

He was actually quite surprised that he didn’t have large bruises on his arms from where Keane grabbed him. There were light bruises currently, but he had expected them to be darker. They might develop later. His grip was as harsh as the ropes that bounded Drayce’s wrists together.

Ashton gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as he looked directly into his eyes. “Did he do anything?”

Hah, he should have known that one response wouldn’t be enough to settle Ashton’s protectiveness. Blayke was likely to be exactly the same.

“Just manhandled me. Really.”

Ashton just stared at him for the longest moment. It honestly made Drayce want to squirm. He could be rather…intimidating when he wanted to be. But it was pure protectiveness and Drayce held his gaze. 

“Alright,” Ashton finally relented as he released his hold on Drayce’s shoulder. “We’ll leave it at that for now.” 

There was definitely a mildly…menacing undertone to Ashton’s voice. Drayce momentarily wondered why he felt that if he told Ashton that something did happen, the dedicated caretaker would immediately head out to beat the shit out of Keane?

“Oh, by the way, Ramus would like to speak with you later today,” Ashton suddenly added.

“Ok.” He likely heard it all from the others already, so just wanted to speak with him personally to see how he was doing. “Where’s Shashi?”

Ashton rolled his eyes in pure disgruntlement. “Where else?”

Drayce had to smile. “Ok, you’re right. Should have known.”

He did hope that Shashi got some rest last night. Though, he had learnt through Kamali that it was possible for him to go three days without sleep. Not healthy in the slightest, but a part of Drayce understood completely.

“Your guild is steadily growing,” Ashton suddenly commented. “You really adopted four more guildmates, hm?”

Drayce rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. But smiled nevertheless. “Appears so.”

Speaking of new guildmates, he had better go check in on them.

After bidding farewell and a promise to get something to eat later to Ashton, Drayce turned and headed back down the hall. He decided to head to the room that Tokala was resting in. Fiorello had reassured everyone that he was going to be fine, but Drayce couldn’t help but wonder if the Cursed Blade had other negative effects on him.

He knocked lightly on the door before he pushed it open. He wasn’t surprised to find that Salim sat in a chair that was pulled closely to bed that Tokala slept in.

“Hey.”

Salim turned half way in his chair to send Drayce a rather tired response. “Hey.”

Drayce left the door slightly ajar as he walked into the room and stood by the foot of the bed. He spent a moment looking over Tokala. The skinny therian was still asleep. On his side. His face was free from discomfort and pain, however. Though, he was a little paler than normal.

Turning back to Salim, he noted that he, too, looked paler than normal. Not to mention sullener and quieter. No surprise, really. “How are you feeling?”

“A little stiff but all right,” Salim replied as he idly rolled his injured shoulder, wincing as he did so.

“Have you gotten any rest?”

“Not really.”

“That’s fair.” Though, Fiorello might not be too happy about that.

A soft groan from the bed caused the two of them to immediately turn their attention there. Salim sat on the edge of his seat as he leaned heavily against the bed with his hands. He waited quietly as Tokala made a soft, almost disgruntled noise as he curled up onto his side, his hands tugging at the bedsheets in an attempt to pull them up over his head.

He, however, abruptly lifted his head up from the pillow and opened his eyes. Though, they were rather bleary as he squinted around the room.

Drayce decided to stay back as Salim rose from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed close to Tokala.

“S-Sal…?” Tokala uttered.

“I’m right here,” Salim replied gently. He then helped pull Tokala into a seating position, only for the therian to rest heavily against him. His head against his chest while a hand sought out the thick white bandages around his shoulder and arm.

“Y-you’re ok?”

“You think a bullet can stop me?” Salim returned, with a hint of false bravado. 

Tokala didn’t respond to that question, however. Instead, he slipped his skinny arms around Salim’s neck and clung onto him tightly. “I was so worried.”

Salim’s arms sound wound around Tokala in return, “…Yeah.”

They were very close, weren’t they? It was nice to see.

Tokala shifted in Salim’s arms, pulling back to look at him. “Is…everyone ok?”

“Everyone is fine,” Drayce was the one to answer, causing Tokala’s ears to perk up on top of his head and he immediately turned in his direction.

He flushed lightly as he timidly removed himself from Salim’s arms. However, the pugilist stayed close to him regardless. 

“Drayce…” Tokala murmured as his face creased into an expression of relief and guilt. “Thank you, for trying to help me.”

Drayce shook his head as a small prang of guilt hit him. “I wasn’t much help.”

Tokala also shook his head. “No. I mean, if you weren’t there, it would have been a lot scarier.” His ears flatten against his head in an apologetic manner. “I’m sorry, though. For dragging you into it.”

“You weren’t the one to drag me into it. That bandit was,” Drayce pointed out in hopes of easing some of Tokala’s guilt.

Before Tokala could respond, the door to his room was timidly pushed open. A mop of red hair with a pair of wolf-like ears then peered into the room. Moving quietly so not to disturb the occupants. Green eyes soon honed in on Drayce’s location and those red-furred ears perked up.

“There you are,” Caelem said quietly as he pushed the door open. “I was looking for you. I wanted to see if you were ok. You looked really tired last night and-”

He trailed off as he glanced over at the bed. His ears soon perked up again and his tail gave a happy little swish when he realised that Tokala was sitting up in bed. “Ah, you’re awake,” he commented as he stepped into the room. “How are you feeling?”

“Cal…” Tokala whispered instead of answering. 

He then suddenly pushed off the blankets and staggered to his feet. Worried, Caelem took a step forward as Tokala stumbled his way over to him. Only to suddenly hug him around the waist, and bury his face into his chest. Caelem’s ears and tail tensed as the sudden embrace and he momentarily froze to the spot. 

“Thank you.”

Upon hearing Tokala’s words of sincere gratitude, Caelem’s posture lost all tension and his gaze softened. He quickly wrapped his arms around Tokala’s in return and smiled gently down at the other therian.

“I’m glad you’re ok,” he said simply.

Tokala hugged him for a while longer before he slowly leaned away and took a step back. He pulled back his hands also, but interlocked his fingers together in front of his chest in a fidgeting manner. “It feels…like I’ve gained a brother somehow,” he uttered, his gaze downwards in an embarrassed manner.

Caelem took a moment to consider those words before he nodded his head resolutely. “Yes. We’re brothers now.”

Tokala raised his head to look up at him. His cheeks were lightly flushed, yet a small smile was on his lips. “Kinda like the Blade Brothers, huh?” That smile promptly faded and his lowered his gaze to the floor once more. “I…don’t think I can wield a blade.”

“Then don’t,” Caelem immediately responded, placing his hands on Tokala’s shoulders in a comforting manner. “It’s your choice what you wish to do with your life now.”

That successfully brought the smile back to Tokala’s lips. “…Yes.”

Caelem would make an awesome big brother to Tokala, he was sure of it.

…There was that pain in his chest again. Sharp. Stabbing. Painful. 

Brother…why did that word hurt him so much?

“You should rest some more,” Drayce suggested as he pushed aside the ache in his chest. “You, too, Sal.”

They, thankfully, didn’t disagree. Caelem helped Tokala back over to Salim, and the therian insisted that Salim sleep in the same bed as him so they both can get some rest. Drayce left the two to get settled in and Caelem followed him out of the room.

He spent a few moments conversing with Caelem, comforting him while the masurao reassured him in return. They were both fine. Caelem had absolutely no injuries and had no side-effects of battling against the Cursed Blade.

After promising Caelem that he would head down stairs in a minute to get something to eat, Drayce headed over the next room over. The door wasn’t fully closed, but slightly ajar. As if someone had idly pulled it closed behind them as they walked out.

That someone was likely to be Fiorello just checking in on the two.

Remembering to be courteous, Drayce knocked lightly at the door before he pushed it open. Inside, he found Runihura sat upright in the bed with the young blond-haired botanist sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, facing him and going through his carry pouch.

“Hey,” Drayce greeted, earning a squeak of surprise from the rather quite small brounii and a simple nod of the head from Runihura. “How are you feeling? And you must be Palash.”

“Y-yes!” Palash squeaked in response.

“Thank you,” Drayce offered sincerely, gaining a surprised look from Palash. “For telling everyone for me.”

Palash blinked at him through his large red-rimmed glasses before he slowly turned his head away and stared idly at the patterns of the bedcover. “…I couldn’t do anything else.”

Even if he felt that way, the information he offered his guildmates in his absence was a great help. And alerted them to the seriousness of the situation a lot faster. Oh, Drayce was certain they would have figured it out on their own. They were smart. But time was the essence, after all.

Drayce sat himself down upon the chair that was pulled up next to the bed. “Can I ask? About how you got mixed up with those bandits?”

Runihura nodded his head before he unexpectedly launched into a short, but still detailed explanation. “Palash and I were both abandoned when we were young, so when we found each other, we decided to become brothers. But we didn’t have anything. No money, barely the clothes on our backs. I had to resort to stealing to make ends meet, to help Palash with his botanist training. Keane took advantage of our situation.”

The immediately response honestly startled Drayce a little. Runihura was surprisingly straightforward and honest in his answer. Though, there was little benefit in lying to him now.

The passive expression on Runihura’s face suddenly faltered and an expression that was a mixture of pain and guilt promptly appeared. “I was just…following orders.”

He was undeniably remorseful.

“I understand,” Drayce returned comfortingly.

“What…will happen to us now?” Palash asked softly. A hint of fear in his voice.

“You can stay here,” Drayce immediately replied and offered the two a small smile. “I did kinda adopt you into my guild.”

“But we’re thieves,” Runihura quickly pointed out. Though his expression was passive, there was still a hint of guilt and worry in his gaze. “We worked with those bandits. We’d likely get arrested at some point.”

That was a good point. And very possible. But Drayce now knew the circumstances of why they were bandits. And had seen first-hand the treatment Runihura had endured under Keane’s leadership. He didn’t have a choice.

“I know Prince Ramus. I will talk to him. He’s reasonable. He’ll understand.” Drayce was absolutely sure of it. “Besides, I can see the remorse you carry. If you want to find redemption, then be a part of my guild. Where you’ll both be safe.”

Palash glanced over at Runihura and the two seemed to hold a silent conversation before Palash turned back toward Drayce. “W-what about Keane?” 

Drayce supressed the need to grimace at the guy’s name. Not to mention at the memory of him practically threatening Runihura further. “Don’t worry about him.”

At least, for now. If they were lucky, Egar would get his hands on him first. Though, that was still very doubtful. Bandits were a slippery lot. And the laws of the labyrinth were different to those within the city.

“Now, you two get some rest,” Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet. “And I’ll leave you in peace. Though, don’t hesitate to head downstairs if you want something to eat.”

Runihura unexpectedly reached out to take Drayce by the elbow. The touch was soft, but surprising all the same. Confused, Drayce turned to give the harbinger a questioning look. He felt a prang of concern when he realised that Runihura seemed to be looking at him with worry in his pink eyes.

“…You know, Keita is really annoying. But he’s…not a bad guy,” Runihura said quietly before he released his hold on Drayce’s elbow just as suddenly and flopped down onto the bed. He rolled onto his side, his back toward him as he lifted the blanket over his shoulder. “He’s just like me. In a way…”

Drayce remembered the hesitation in Keita’s escape. And the pained look he sent in Runihura’s direction.

Maybe…

“I see,” Drayce simply replied, knowing that he was unlikely to get any more information from the harbinger. And it wasn’t really necessary anyway. “Get some rest. You, too, Palash. You’re both safe here.”

As Drayce turned toward the door to leave, he heard a soft voice whisper from the bed;

“…Thank you.”

Drayce paused in his steps for just a moment before he continued on his way. He never did anything in expectation of receiving gratitude. But it was nice to hear it all the same.

… … … … …

It was about mid-afternoon when Drayce found his way to the Council Hall. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t go alone. Blayke went with him, which was nothing unusual. Regardless, everyone was still on edge after what happened. Which was understandable.

Drayce wasn’t too worried, though. He was at the Council Hall, after all. No bandit in their right mind would lurk around that place with so many guards looking for them.

“Drayce,” Ramus’ expression brightened from professionalism to delight when Drayce by-passed the line of explorers and made his way toward him. That delight dimmed just a fraction as concern soon found its way upon his features and he regarded him with a curious glance. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine now,” Drayce replied as he idly tugged at the sleeves of his coat, ensuring that the white bandages around his wrists were hidden. “Sorry if I worried you. You must have received the shock of your life last night, huh?”

“That is one way of saying it,” Ramus replied with a small smile. Again, that quickly faded into concern. “I learnt everything from Kamali and Caelem. I’m extremely glad to know you weren’t hurt. Egar is looking for those bandits.”

“The leader is more dangerous than his minions,” Blayke muttered under his breath.

Ramus heard him, regardless and nodded his head. “Unfortunately, that is usually the case.”

To Drayce, however, the boss pulling the strings from behind the scenes was the most dangerous of them all. Whoever they were.

“Come,” Ramus urged as he swept a hand toward the halls behind him. “Let me show you where we are keeping the Cursed Blade.”

Drayce nodded and he and Blayke dutifully followed Ramus deeper into the Council Hall. They passed through many hallways and chambers. Drayce believed that the Cursed Blade was likely kept somewhere near the treasure vault, where the Radiant Moon was kept. However, Ramus led them beyond that chamber and into another. 

This one appeared far more…fortified.

As they entered the chamber, Drayce noted that there were several large, steel enforced doors lining the walls. Only one of which was opened. With scholars and regal robes and clothes scurrying in and out of.

Honestly, the chamber gave him the indication that it was more of a prison than a vault.

“It will be secure here, right?” Blayke asked as he cautious inspected their surroundings.

“I cannot guarantee that completely,” Ramus admitted as they paused a few feet away from the only open doors. “But, for the most part; yes. Not only is the blade itself sealed, but the walls within the vault possess sealing sigils. And the doors will soon to be locked themselves. Never to be opened under my watch.”

That was good to hear. There was no safer place for it to be.

Drayce watched idly as the scholars moved in and out of the room. Some earthlain, some celestian. There even appeared to be a single therian amongst them. 

“I’m afraid, currently, we don’t know how dangerous the Cursed Blade actually is,” Drayce admitted. “Whether or not it could possess another. Or only under certain circumstances. Regardless, it needs to be kept sealed away.”

Ramus was quick to agree. “Yes. To think that such a weapon had existed all this time. Either we have been extremely fortunate or the blade was kept well hidden.”

It was a little surprising. With how many guilds and explorers were venturing in and out of the labyrinth. Then again, Drayce himself had needed to find the music box with contained the small treasure chest, which contained the magically infused map. After that, there was the tokens. 

With all the precautions, they probably shouldn’t be surprised that no one knew of its existence.

“What of the documents found within that altar?” Ramus questioned.

“As you can imagine, Shashi is busy at work deciphering it,” Drayce explained with a smile when he recalled the dismay of both Ashton and Kamali at Shashi’s dedication. “As soon as he tells me, I’ll be sure to inform you, too.”

Ramus quickly agreed to that, too. “Please do. I would like to know more of this Turquoise Lotus Father. If he had battled alongside the Legendary Dragoon, then it is my duty as Earthlain prince to honour his role and commitment.”

Hopefully Drayce could provide him with that information.

There was one thing, though…

“I have a request, if you don’t mind?”

Ramus regarded him curiously. “Yes?”

“I would like for the Shining Lotus to stay with Caelem. It belongs to his village’s founding father, after all. Also, in case the Cursed Blade is ever released again.”

Ramus took a moment to consider his request. And honestly, it did sound a bit selfish. It was an important treasure, after all. But it belonged to another. Someone not of the royal family. It just felt wrong to keep it hidden away. 

And if the Cursed Blade was released, only Caelem could wield the blade in battle.

“Of course,” Ramus agreed with a smile. “What of the necklace? I heard it belonged to another, too.”

Drayce nodded his head, thankful for the young prince’s understanding. “Yeah. I’m not entirely sure if he wants it back, but it would be wrong of me not to ask him, right?”

“Indeed.” Ramus turned away from them summoned over a tall earthlain man with white hair and a short, well-kept beard. “Please bring the Shining Lotus. And the necklace, Scarlet Lotus.”

The elderly scholar glanced in Drayce’s direction. And unexpectedly uttered a scoff. “You’re not considering leaving such a valuable find in this…treasure hunter’s care, are you?” 

Besides him, Drayce felt Blayke bristle. Drayce had to literally grab onto his arm to prevent him from doing or saying anything. He didn’t like the overly snooty types, after all. And rather unfortunately, some scholars (especially noble or royal scholars) could be rather…arrogant, for lack of a better word.

Being locked up in the library all day and not going any field work was often the reason. 

Surprisingly, Ramus’ expression turned somewhat stoic as he turned to regard the elderly scholar fully. “This Treasure Hunter is the one to have discover it. And his guildmate, a therian, is of the village that honours the one who created that blade. It is only right that I return that blade to its rightful place. And possibly inheritor. Don’t you agree?”

Ooh, that almost brought a chill down Drayce’s spine.

The scholar attempted to splutter some kind of indignant response, yet he could not deny the young prince his order. And he knew that. As much as he loathed to admit it, the young kid before him held a much higher status than he did. 

Nevertheless, there was a sense of surprise from the man. As if he hadn’t expected such a reply from his prince.

“Spoken like a true prince,” Drayce complimented as the scholar shuffled away and Ramus turned his attention back toward them.

“W-well, Egar insisted that I speak more…matter-a-factly when it is in regards to my royal advisors. They were rather…rude last night, in my opinion,” Ramus admitted with a light flush of pink to his cheeks. He soon offered him an apologetic smile, however. A smile that held an underlying hint of frustration. “You’ll have to forgive the royal scholars. They can be seen as…”

“Superior and obnoxious?” Blayke muttered as he dislodged his arm from Drayce’s grip and folded them tightly over his chest.

“Not quite the words I was looking for…”

“But right all the same.”

The corner of Ramus’ mouth twitched slightly. Threatening to break out into a smile. “Well…I can’t rightfully deny that.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, sorry for the wait! Still dealing with headaches and migraines, but at least I have an MRI scan on Friday. Hopefully, these headaches will leave me soon so I can get back to writing properly. Moving on, this is the last chapter to this saga. After I finish my short Trails of Mana fic, I will work on a completely original novel. So I hope when I begin, you, my lovely readers, will give it try.
> 
> Until then, I hope you’ll enjoy reading~!

The gentle glow of the fireplace was the only source of illumination within the seating room. Night had fallen, the overcast cloudy sky hid the moon’s light. Drayce his guildmates, waiting in anticipation of what their talented scholars had learned through the readings of the documents and scrolls found within the altar that held the Cursed Blade.

He sat on the three-seater couch with Faelen on his left, and Caelem to his right. Zohar stood quietly by the large bay windows as he gazed outside. Blayke sat on the edge of the armchair next to Caelem, seemingly idly watching the flames within the hearth. He was also subtly keeping an eye on Tokala and Salim who sat close to the fire, staying together and keeping warm. Nashoba rested with them, sleeping next to Tokala. Finally, Fiorello rested in a high-back chair, engrossed in a book he was reading.

Runihura and Palash had chosen to stay in their room. Runihura was still recovering from his injuries that Keane had ruthlessly inflicted upon him. And, unsurprisingly, Palash had chosen to stay with him.

And the rest of his guild were in the library.

Finally, they all heard the familiar sounds of footsteps descending the stairs. Footsteps growing louder as they approached.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Kamali stated as he walked into the room with his brother and Ashton. 

While Kamali moved to stand by the couch where Faelen sat, Shashi moved to be at the centre of attention. Ashton chose to stay by the room’s entrance, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

“Well, it took a while but we’ve managed to translate the text found within the altar of the Curse Blade. Unfortunately, many of the scrolls were damaged or had faded due to time. And it tells nothing of what had occurred during the Legendary War. But it holds some interesting information regardless,” Shashi explained. In his hands was his trusty notebook. “Ready, Caelem?”

“Yes!” Caelem immediately replied, his enthusiasm barely restrained. “I want to know everything.”

Shashi offered him a small smile as he brought up the notebook and flipped through several of the pages. 

“Shall I start with the mysterious figure known as Sorataki? It appears that he was a Therian that was friends with both the Turquoise Lotus Father and his brother, the Blood Lotus Brother. He was considered an oddity of the Therian race for being interested in the teachings of rituals and magic rather than the art of the blade. 

But those skills became useful when the brothers learnt of the plot to reawaken the Cursed Blade. With Sorataki’s help, they were able to seal the Cursed Blade away. Also, they placed a spell upon the Shining Lotus so that it would only reveal itself when the Cursed Blade awoke.”

“Awoke?” Blayke questioned, his brow furrowed. “Did the lotus blades have a consciousness?”

“In a sense.” Shashi flipped over a page of his notebook. “Like how the Radiant Moon held devas because of the crystals used, the lotuses held the same.”

Hmmm, that led to the question of where the Cursed Blade got its consciousness. Though, it could be through the use of a sigil or curse. The creator of such a blade certainly didn’t have benign intentions.

Next to him, Faelen raised his hand meekly. “Um, can I ask how could they have known that someone like Caelem would be there to wield the Shining Lotus when the Cursed Blade woke up?”

“Of course he would be there,” Shashi answered somewhat dismissively. “The descendant of the Turquoise Lotus Father would wish to help in any way he could.”

Drayce drew in a breath. That…was quite the discovery!

It took Caelem to fully register what Shashi had just revealed. And when it did, he tensed in his seat in complete surprise. “D-descendant?!”

Shashi uttered a light chuckle as he folded an arm loosely across his chest. “Yes. According to the documents found within the altar, the Shining Lotus would only reveal itself to the one who carries the blood and will of the Turquoise Lotus Father.”

With his eyes still wide in surprise, Caelem slumped back into his seat. Gobsmacked. “That’s…”

“That’s amazing!” Faelen said in delight as he flopped across Drayce’s lap so that he could get closer toward Caelem.

Drayce just chuckled. He couldn’t say he was all that surprised. Though, he did understand Caelem’s surprise completely. He had gone through the exact same thing when he learnt about Aura.

Still perched on the edge of the armchair, a slight frown tugged at Blayke’s lips as he looked over at Caelem. He looked surprisingly worried. “The Turquoise Lotus Father appears to really be your ancestor. What will you do now?”

Caelem didn’t answer. Instead, his expression shifted into a look of contemplation. His gaze drifted down to the floor in front of him. Yet, he didn’t take anything in visually. He was lost to his own thoughts.

Faelen regarded Caelem’s silence with a sense of trepidation. “You’re…not going to head back to your village, are you?” he asked, his ears flattening against his head.

That…was a possibility. Especially since the Shining Lotus was in Caelem’s possession. Drayce hadn’t taken that into consideration, honestly. He…couldn’t really see his guild without Caelem being a part of it.

Though, it was ultimately his choice.

“Masuraos…are to pledge themselves to a worthy cause…” Caelem murmured.

Drayce had heard stories of the loyalty of Masuraos and their pledges to others. Some would dedicate their whole lives for the sake of another. Even if that put their very lives at risk.

He…didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be someone’s soul purpose. Their burden. 

Caelem suddenly turned to face him with a sense of determination. “Drayce, I-”

“Wait.” Drayce raised his hand to stop Caelem for just the moment. He had some idea of what he was to say next. “I’ll accept your loyalty and your friendship. But your pledge should come from the heart, and pledge your heart to someone who will return it. That pledge, after all, deserves someone special. Far more special than me.”

Caelem was genuinely startled by Drayce’s reply. And Drayce feared that he may have offended him. But he didn’t want to string him along like that. He deserved to make his own decisions. For his benefit along for the benefit of others. 

“…Yes, I understand,” Caelem finally answered as an unexpected flush appeared across his cheeks. “I’ll stay until I find a reason to make that pledge.”

Drayce gave him a smile, honestly relieved. He was sure that the others of their guild were also greatly relieved to hear that. And he was sure that his ancestor, Turquoise Lotus Father, would be happy with that decision, also. 

“What of the Cursed Blade, though?” Blayke suddenly asked.

“Ah, yes, there is more information,” Shashi lifted his notebook again but instead of looking at the pages, he glanced over in Drayce’s direction. “Drayce, you said that the Cursed Blade was summoned, yes?”

Drayce nodded as he rested his hand on Faelen’s back, allowing the rover to stay comfortably flopped over his lap. “That’s right. We didn’t know of the altar until after everything had happened.”

Shashi nodded and turned back to his notes. “Then that means, Tokala is the descendant to the Turquoise Lotus Father’s brother, the Blood Lotus Brother.”

Tokala immediately stuttered. “W-what?”

Well, talk another bombshell!

Shashi continued; “The blade is drawn to the blood of the one that wielded it without fully succumbing to the darkness held within the blade. The Blood Lotus Brother was the only one who did not succumb to the darkness, did not become a mindless puppet to the will of the blade. His actions were controlled, but his conscious remained intact.”

He turned to give Tokala his attention. “And you; you also didn’t succumb to the control of the blade. You fought back. Just like the Blood Lotus Brother tried. So, the Cursed Blade was drawn to the one strong enough to wield it successfully. You have a light, innocent heart. The brighter the light, the darker the darkness. To control you fully would grant the Cursed Blade more power. It was also likely wishing to seek revenge against the Blade Brothers who dared to defy its will.”

Silence fell over the room as they waited for Tokala to understand, or at least mentally comprehend what he had just learnt. It was a lot for him to take in.

“Am…am I susceptible to the pull of the Cursed Blade?” Tokala asked softly.

“That is something that the Blood Lotus Brother himself had feared,” Shashi revealed. “Yet, he didn’t. And you didn’t wilfully seek the blade for yourself, did you now?”

Tokala shook his head. “No…”

“Then there is nothing to fear.”

Tokala still looked worried. And pale. Drayce was empathetic and wanted to try to comfort him somehow. “That’s right. Besides, if anything should happen, Caelem will take on the Cursed Blade with ease.” He turned toward the masurao next to him. “Right?”

“Yes,” Caelem immediately replied. No hesitation or reluctance in his voice. “I do not fear having to face the Cursed Blade in battle, should the need arise again.”

Drayce smiled. That wasn’t from bravado, but from confidence. “Then there really is nothing to fear.”

That gave Tokala a bit of comfort and he gave Caelem a small smile. That smile abruptly disappeared as his hand flew up to touch the red gemstone that hung around his neck. “W-wait, my necklace…”

“The Blood Lotus Brother was given the Scarlet Lotus to act as Guardian over the chest that hid the location of both blades. He believed it to be the redemption he needed to rest his soul, and allow his descendants to carry on his legacy.”

Tokala’s hand tightened around the red gemstone of his necklace. “I...really am related to the Blood Lotus Brother?”

Faelen turned his head toward Drayce and gave him a questioning look. “That means that Caelem and Tokala are distantly related, right?”

“Right,” Drayce smiled as he glanced over in Tokala’s direction. “You found a member of your family after all, Tokala.”

Finally, a smile made its way upon his lips. “I really did.”

“Well, that is all the information we managed to gleam from the writing documents,” Shashi finished as he flipped his notebook closed and rested it under his arm.

As the others began to talk amongst themselves, Drayce sat back into his seat and mused to himself. It was a shame they couldn’t learn more about the Turquoise Lotus Father himself, but their previous research had discovered enough. And from what they did learn, he appeared to be a humble therian. He likely didn’t want much known about him. Just the essentials.

His time during the Legendary War was more likely than not extremely painful for him to endure. It would have been, with his brother unwillingly working alongside the notorious Despot himself.

“Drayce.” Ashton uttering his name pulled Drayce from his musings. And as he turned in his direction, Ashton made a quick motion with his head toward the foyer behind him. “A quick word, if you would?

Drayce blinked. “Hm? Sure.”

Faelen slipped off of Drayce’s lap, allowing him to stand up. He quickly shuffled to take his seat so that he could continue to speak with Caelem.

He followed Ashton out into the foyer and over to the entrance way into the dining hall. “What’s up?”

Ashton took a moment to glance over Drayce’s shoulder and into the seating room before shifting his gaze back to him. “Well, there’s something that Shashi and I would like to keep from Caelem and Tokala for now,” he admitted quietly.

Ok, that was a little concerning.

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s not so much information, rather a feeling.” Ashton shifted on his feet as he folded his arms across his chest. “The documents don’t mention the name of the one who created the Cursed Blade. Either version of it. Despot was likely to have been the one who ordered the crafting of the first Cursed Blade. But the second? There’s no mention. And this…situation feels unfinished to me.”

…Yeah, it kinda did, didn’t it?

“Keane muttered something,” Drayce admitted, his voice as equally quiet. “He was working for someone else. And Despot was believed to have many loyal generals of his own. You don’t think…?”

If the generals that battled alongside the Legendary Earthlain Dragoon had descendants, who was to say that the generals of the Despot didn’t?

Ashton pressed his lips tightly together, indicating that he had considered the possibility, too. “Perhaps we’re being overly cautious, but…I believe it is a good idea to keep the Shining Lotus here. Caelem is truly the only one who can wield it.”

“I agree.” Drayce was also glad that Caelem had made the decision to stay with them. “It would allow no other. Just like the Radiant Moon, right?”

“More likely than not,” Ashton agreed.

Drayce glanced toward the seating room for a brief moment, watching as Caelem and Tokala interacted with one another. They had grown close. Acting very much like brothers. “Though, in the end, Tokala never learnt why he was seemingly abandoned when he was a child,” he mused aloud.

Ashton shifted on his feet again. Somewhat uncomfortably this time. “This is just speculation,” he started. “But perhaps it was a desperate attempt to keep him safe? A therian was after the Cursed Blade, right? Perhaps a family member of his decided he would be safer with a family of protective pugilists. Sometimes, families do desperate things to protector one of their own.”

Huh…That almost sounded like he knew that from experience.

“That sounds plausible, though that also raises more questions,” Drayce replied, running a hand through his hair. “Still…I’m afraid Tokala will need to be satisfied with the answers he got for now. There is always a possibility that he could learn more about his past somewhere in the future.”

“Very true,” Ashton promptly agreed before he dropped his arms from his chest and gave him a small smile. “Best head back in there. Your guildmates are probably missing you.”

Drayce gave a small laugh. “Right.”

… … … … …

Drayce stood in Caelem’s room and watched as Caelem carefully set about ensuring that the Shining Lotus with its turquoise encrusted sheath sat perfectly balanced upon the wall next to his bed. After he was satisfied, he took a step back to stand next to Drayce, the both of them turning to admiring the ancient blade.

Despite it being over a thousand years old, it was in pristine condition. And very beautiful. The turquoise stones seemed to sparkle with an inner light. And the blade itself was flawless. As if it had been crafted with expert hands just moments ago.

“Is it really ok to keep the Shining Lotus here?” Caelem asked him.

“Yes, I believe so,” Drayce quickly answered. “It looks good on your bedroom wall, don’t you think?”

Caelem nodded. “Yes. And the Cursed Blade is safe in the council treasure vault. And…if anyone should try to steal it, I’ll stop them. Before anyone is hurt.”

Determined and confident, but no arrogance. Caelem was quite the guy, wasn’t he?

“Right. And you won’t have to do it alone. Not when you have guildmates more than willing to help.”

With a smile now gracing his lips, Caelem nodded his head again. “You’re right.”

They fell into a comfortable silence as Caelem continued to gaze upon the Shining Lotus. He was likely musing about all the information he had learnt about his village’s founding father. And how he seemed to be the legendary therian’s descendant.

It was a lot to take in. Drayce knew that well.

Caelem broke the silence with a question. “Is this how you felt when you realised Aura was an ancestor of yours?” 

“Proud?” Drayce questioned in return, quickly gaining a nod from the therian beside him. “Yeah.”

“I’ll make him proud.”

“I’m sure you already have.”

Caelem suddenly chuckled. “Hah…”

Drayce tilted his head curiously at him. “Hm?”

“I’m just thinking about how lucky I am to meet you,” Caelem admitted with a light dusting of pink across the bridge of his nose. “Blayke, Faelen, Kamali, Zohar, Shashi, Ashton, Fiorello…Carrying the Moon Legacy was worth it for bringing me to this guild.” He paused, struggling to find the next words. “I’m…happy.”

That…was good to hear. Truly. 

“We’re also lucky,” Drayce added. “And happy to have you here.”

A light pink flush appeared on Caelem’s features. Though looking shyly embarrassed, he was happy by the response all the same. “So, what treasure will we discover next?” he asked, somewhat excitedly.

Good question!

“I dunno,” Drayce replied casually. “But its going to fun finding out, right?”

Caelem was definitely enthusiastic in his reply. “Yes!”

Drayce suddenly stilled as realisation hit him in the middle of the forehead. “Ah, before all that, though; we better find those stairs.”

Caelem stiffened, realisation also hitting him abruptly. “Oh, right. I forgot about them.”

The two shared a sheepish look for a drawn-out moment before submitting to a bout of laughter.

Ah, it was fine! After all, their guild was bigger now. And they found the Shining Lotus along with the Cursed Blade, two relics purposely hidden. They were sure to be able to find a set of stairs. No problem.

Third floor to the labyrinth, here they come!


End file.
